Kick it Out disappointed with length of Kiko Casilla's ban but extend 'olive branch' to Leeds United and player

A spokesperson for Kick it Out said they would welcome the opportunity to offer practical support and 're-education' for Casilla, who is currently serving an eight-game ban having been found guilty of using racist language by an independent regulatory commission.

The body, who work to promote equality and inclusion in football, released a statement this afternoon in which they insisted they had reached out to Jonathan Leko within days of the game between Charlton Athletic and Leeds United, when Casilla was alleged to have directed the n-word at Leko.

Leko put out a statement of his own last night in which he said no support from Kick It Out and Show Racism The Red Card had been forthcoming.

The statement said: "Kick It Out has observed the detailed judgment in the Kiko Casilla.

“Casilla has been punished for directing a targeted racial slur of ‘You f****** n*****r’ to Jonathan Leko.

“We should not shy away from fully confronting the ugly and shocking nature of this racist comment, and we commend and stand by the Charlton Athletic players for bringing this to the fore.

“Kick It Out did reach out via the proper channels to Charlton within days of the incident to offer our support to Jonathan Leko and we extend him our sympathy as he did not receive the appropriate support he needed during this stressful experience.

“We can confirm that we have not heard from Kiko Casilla or Leeds United FC as yet, however we extend an olive branch to him and the club to provide practical support and continued opportunities for re-education.

“We are somewhat disappointed with the length of ban administered, particularly as The FA were pushing for an additional two matches.

“This ban is in line with a similar case going back eight plus years and we would ask does it send a message that we have not moved on since that period of time.

“We would welcome the opportunity to liaise with The FA to consider consistent and standardised sentencing guidelines, in order that relative punishments can more accurately reflect our values as a game and a society.”