UEFA Won't Punish Spartak Moscow Player After Rhian Brewster Racism Allegations

Spartak Moscow's under-19 captain Leonid Mironov will not be punished by UEFA after he was alleged to have racially abused Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster.

As relayed by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, European football's governing body has said that there was insufficient evidence to charge Mironov.

"Mironov, who admitted swearing at Brewster but was adamant he didn't use racist language, could have been hit with a 10-match ban," Pearce said.

The incident occurred in December during a match between the two youth sides on Merseyside, during which Brewster reacted angrily to comments from Mironov. As noted in the report, the Liverpool youngster was pulled away from the flashpoint by players and staff.

Per Pearce, Liverpool issued an official complaint against the Moscow player, and while he was subsequently charged by UEFA, a three-month investigation has not uncovered enough evidence to take the process further.

In a statement from UEFA, it's said Brewster made the complaint "in good faith," while the Moscow man said "he indeed swore at Brewster, but he unreservedly denied using any discriminatory language."

Daniel Taylor of the Guardian provided further detail:

In an interview with Taylor, Brewster said that Mironov said "suck my d--k, you n----r, you negro."

"I jumped to my feet and the ref came running over because obviously he realised something had been said," Brewster added. "He [the referee] said to me he couldn't do anything because he hadn't heard it and 'the only thing I can do is report it'. I said: 'Come on, then—let's go and report it.'"

Earlier in the season, Liverpool issued a different complaint against Spartak, when Bobby Adekanye was subjected to abuse from the stands in Moscow. UEFA ordered the closure of 500 seats at the team's academy stadium in response.

Brewster is rated as one of the best prospects in English football at the moment and shone in the summer as England won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The Liverpool starlet finished that tournament with the golden boot, netting eight times in the competition.