U.S. and Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu is in the process of suing Anderlecht player Jelle Van Damme for racial abuse allegedly uttered during the Belgian Jupiler playoff last month that crowned Standard Liege champion for the second straight season.
Onyewu claims Van Damme, 25, called him a "dirty monkey" during their playoff final in May. Van Damme has denied the charges and said that he is not a racist.
"He was convinced it was his duty to lodge the complaint," Onyewu's lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont said. "It is not a question whether Van Damme is racist. The issue is that these slurs are still used on the field, and are being used because they know it hurts."