London, Nov 22 (IANS): Legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff has strongly denied he made racist remarks against compatriot and former Juventus star Edgar Davids.

Cruyff allegedly told Davids that he was promoted to the supervisory board of Ajax because "you are black," according to a report in the Guardian.

Refuting the allegations, Cruyff said: "My foundation now has some 120 football pitches laid out for children, a lot of them immigrants."

"We live in a multicultural society. They discredit themselves with this. I have a broad back. It is really too much to respond," Cruyff was quoted as saying in the report.

Cruyff was speaking after Davids gave an interview on the Dutch television show Studio Voetbal Sunday afternoon. He made claims of racism towards him but did not mention Cruyff.

Davids said: "Sometimes people cross the line within the supervisory board. There have even been racist comments. I don't want to go into details."

Subsequently, another Ajax supervisory board member, Steven ten Have, conducted a live interview with Studio Voetbal in which he pointed the finger at Cruyff. Ten Have said Cruyff's direct comment to Davids was: "You are only on the supervisory board because you're black."

"Edgar has been insulted and has received shocking treatment," Ten Have said.

The latest controversy comes at a time when racism has reared its ugly head in football world.

Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Chelsea's John Terry were accused of racially abusing their opponents and are currently under investigation by the Football Association (FA). FIFA president Sepp Blatter came under heavy criticism from all quarters for trying to trivialize the issue.