Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has been handed an eight-game ban and a fine after being found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko.
The incident happened during Charlton's 1-0 win over Leeds at the Valley back in September. After an investigation, the FA ruled that Casilla had been in breach of FA rule E3. Although the goalkeeper denies the charge.
It is alleged that the comments by the player made "reference to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin," which leads to an aggravated breach of the rule.
Following the news of the ban, Leeds United released a statement on their official website .
"Leeds United acknowledges that Kiko Casilla has been found guilty of breaching FA Rule E3 during our Sky Bet Championship game with Charlton Athletic in September 2019," it read.
"Casilla has been banned for 8 games following the verdict from the FA. We would like to make it clear that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination within our football club and we are a leader in the fight against discrimination within our wider community.
"However, it is important to recognise that Kiko has always denied making any racist comment. The FA panel have based their decision on the balance of probability rather than proving Kiko to be guilty beyond reasonable doubt, which we have always believed is the more appropriate burden of proof."
The ban means that Casilla will miss the majority of Leeds' remaining league games as they aim to win promotion to the Premier League this season.
