Marseille deny Neymar's accusation: 'Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist'

Marseille defended Alvaro Gonzalez on Monday after Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar accused the player of racist abuse during Sunday's match at the Parc des Princes.

Neymar was among five players sent off for their involvement in a brawl in Le Classique's closing stages. Officials dismissed the Brazilian for slapping Marseille defender Gonzalez on the back of the head, but the PSG star took to Twitter after the match to express his regret for "not hitting this idiot in the face."

Neymar alleges that Gonzalez called him a "monkey."

Marseille began their statement by noting their pride in winning 1-0 "in a fair way" before asserting, "Alvaro Gonzalez is not racist, as he has shown through his daily behavior since joining the club, as his teammates have already confirmed. The club remains at the disposal of the disciplinary committee to fully cooperate in the investigation of all the events that occurred in the match, and the 24 hours which preceded them."

Marseille also used their statement to denounce the treatment of Gonzalez after the fixture.

"This controversy is serious and has already produced serious consequences," the statement continued. "The club condemns the dissemination of the private telephone numbers of Alvaro Gonzalez and his relatives on Brazilian media and social networks overnight, giving rise to constant harassment - including death threats."

The southern club declared itself "the very symbol of anti-racism in French professional sport" and said, "Its players demonstrate it in their daily commitment on and off the field."

The French Football League plans to reveal the punishments for the red-carded players on Wednesday. A Ligue 1 disciplinary committee is expected to meet on the same day and will discuss launching a full investigation into Neymar's allegations, ESPN's Julien Laurens reports.

On Monday, an Instagram post from Neymar provided further explanation for the incidents that occurred late in Sunday's match. He said, "I could not leave without doing something because I realized that those in charge would not do anything, did not notice, or ignored the fact." He added that he accepts the punishment for his reaction but hopes "the offender will also be punished."

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain released their statement on Monday to say the club "strongly supports" its player and "looks forward to the LFP's Disciplinary Commission to investigate and ascertain the facts."