Leeds United continued their promotion celebrations after their stunning 3-1 victory against Derby County on Sunday, but there was a party pooper that dampened some spirits.
Marcelo Bielsa made the controversial decision to start goalkeeper Kiko Casilla after he had fully served his eight-game ban and was fined £60,000 after he was found guilty for racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko, as per BBC Sport.
The young shot-stopper Illan Meslier stepped in and played a huge part in helping the Whites secure the vital points that confirmed their return to top-flight football for the first time in 16 years.
Answering a question from a fan during The Athletic’s Q&A session, Hay was asked about the inclusion of Casilla at Pride Park.
Should Kiko Casilla ever play for Leeds again?
Yes
No
Hay said: “I’m very uncomfortable with the lack of contrition shown by Casilla and the club. I know he denies the offence but the written verdict was pretty damning and this still needs to be properly addressed.”
This is true. Casilla has always maintained his innocence and did so when he commented just after he was issued his fine and ban, cited by BBC Sport.
It will not rub off well with the Elland Road faithful, but the club stood by him in an official statement after Casilla consistently denies making any comments of racial hatred.
Leeds United’s silence on this matter is concerning. With everything that is going on in the world at this time and the club about to become a Premier League outfit once more, it is vital that this is not left to stew and dealt with immediately, not making the same mistake that Liverpool made with Luis Suarez.