Jonathan Leko criticized “Kick It Out” and the Association of Professional Footballers for their failure to properly support him in his racism case against Kiko Casilla.
And he lambasted the process by which Casilla banned eight games on Friday, calling it “extremely stressful” and saying he “felt like I did something wrong”.
Leeds goalkeeper Casilla was found to have used racist language toward Leko, who was then playing for Charlton in a Sky Bet Championship match on 28 September.
Leko, who returned to parent club West Brom due to an injury, said he was “relieved” that the process was finished but disappointed with the response from some of the game’s key leaders.
He said in a statement, “I was disappointed with the time it took to get there.
“22 weeks passed between the incident and the hearing during which I had minimal contact with the PFA, of which I am a member, and no contact with support from major anti-racist bodies such as” Kick It Out ”and“ Show racism the red card ”.
“Support or advice would have been welcome.”
Casilla had denied the charge but an independent regulatory commission found him guilty after concluding that she “was convinced of the evidence beyond the balance of probabilities”.
The Spaniard was also fined £ 60,000 and ordered to attend face-to-face education courses.
In his statement, Leko, born in DR Congo, also said: “I am naturally relieved that the process is now over and that the FA has confirmed what I have always known to be true – that I have been the victim of racial violence on the part of Kiko Casilla in a way that shocked. me and get angry and still upset me to this day.
“I was disappointed with the time it took to get to this point. Knowing what happened in the match that day, it was difficult to watch Kiko Casilla continue playing for such a long time as if nothing had happened.
“I urge the game’s governing bodies to examine their own processes when such incidents are reported.”
Leko said the trauma of the trial had left him wondering “if I would be ready to start all over if I were on the side of similar abuse in the future.”