A football match in Minas Gerais was stopped for seven minutes after a spectator was accused of making a racial insult during Nacional de Muriaé’s game against Venda Nova. The incident occurred in the second round of the final hexagonal of the Campeonato Mineiro Second Division, the state’s third tier.
According to the Military Police of Minas Gerais, officers were called after reports that a fan had used racist language against referee Raphael Noeinstein de Araújo, who is 27. The suspect, a 60-year-old man, was identified and approached by police. He acknowledged using offensive expressions but said they were directed at someone else rather than the referee. He was arrested in the act on suspicion of racial insult.
The match at the Soares de Azevedo Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw. The fan and other people involved were taken to a Civil Police station after the game. The source report said it had not obtained the police incident report.
The official match report, written by Araújo, confirms that the game was halted for seven minutes from the 29th minute of the first half. It says the incident involved an identified Nacional de Muriaé supporter, was witnessed by Venda Nova staff member Ricardo Xavier da Cruz and match delegate André Lincoln, and led to the anti-racism protocol being activated. However, the document does not specify who was the target of the alleged insults.
Nacional de Muriaé, the home team, strongly condemned the incident in a statement and described it as an isolated act that did not represent the club’s supporters. The Minas Gerais Football Federation had been contacted but had not issued a response at the time of the report.
After the draw, Venda Nova had four points and stood second in the final hexagonal, level with leaders Paracatu, who had the better goal difference. Nacional de Muriaé had two points in fourth place. The top two teams earn promotion to the Módulo 2.
The report also noted that this was not the first alleged racial-insult incident involving Araújo. In July, while officiating an amateur tournament in Esmeraldas, he reported being targeted by racist abuse from a spectator. Police arrested the suspect, who was later released.
Sources: Globo Esporte.