Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has been banned for eight matches and fined £60,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko.
The 33-year-old, who denied the charge, has also been ordered to attend a face-to-face education session.
The incident took place in Charlton’s win over the Whites on 28 September.
“I do not feel at all that the guilty verdict is a clear reflection of the incident,” Casilla said in a statement.
The charge was found proven by an independent regulatory commission.
The Football Association began an investigation in October and subsequently charged Casilla with a breach of FA Rule E3.
It was alleged the Spaniard’s words “made reference to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin”, constituting an aggravated breach, and the FA granted Casilla extra time to respond to the charge.
Under rules introduced for the 2019-20 season, the minimum suspension for a player found guilty of an aggravated breach of the FA’s discrimination rules is six matches, which can be increased depending on any additional aggravating factors.
