Real Madrid boss Alonso claims Rudiger will be racially abused during the Club World Cup victory against Pachuca
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that Antonio Rudiger reported experiencing a racist incident during his 3-1 Club World Cup victory at Pachuca on the Mexican side.
The conflict occurred at a halt when Rudiger collided with Patjuca’s Captaingustavo Cabral, claiming he was tainted with the build-up.
The German defender immediately informed referee Ramon Apatti Abel of the situation and urged staff to pass his arm across his chest.
Cabral refused to speak out as racist. He said he used Lediger to call him “collector” and exchanged intense words for Rudiger, but claimed that racial insults had nothing to do with it.
“The judge created signs of racism, but I’ve been telling him the same thing all along,” explained Cabral. “It was a fight. We clashed. He said I hit him with my hand, and then there was an argument.”
When asked to clarify what happened on the pitch, Alonso told the media:
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger says he was racially abused at the end of his match against Pachuca at the Club World Cup. pic.twitter.com/r72rd4dfbi
– Sky Sports News (@skysportsnews) June 23, 2025
“But if something happens, we need to take measures and this is unacceptable, so we need to support Antonio.
“There is no tolerance for this at any level of football. Whenever that happens, we need to take action. That’s what Antonio said to us, and we believe him.”
The FIFA protocol Alonso mentioned is a three-step procedure that involves halting the match, temporarily suspending it and eventually giving it up if racist behavior continues.
Pachuca head coach Jaime Lozano spoke after a match at Bank America Stadium in Charlotte and said he had no prior knowledge of the incident.
“I haven’t spoken to Cabral about this, and I can’t explain it.
“I’ve known him for a while, but I’ve never heard of anything like that with a Pachuca player. I can’t protect the captain, but I’ll talk to him.”
This is not the first time Rudiger has spoken about this issue. While playing for Chelsea in 2021, he expressed his frustration over the ineffective frustrations of anti-racist efforts in football, saying “nothing really changes,” but vowed to “continue to keep fighting” discrimination.