Vaessen and Suriname faced Guatemala in Guatemala City on Monday, with the winner likely to win the group and advance to the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Nations League.
The game was overshadowed by racist chants from the stands, aimed at the Suriname players. Forward Richonell Margaret responded by flipping off the fans, earning a red card from referee Joe Dickerson.
In a statement on the FC Groningen website, Etienne Vaessen described the conditions for him and his teammates.
"We were provoked from the very first minute, and the most appalling racist abuse was hurled at us. It felt as if we were playing football in a cage we couldn’t escape," Vaessen recollected.
"Our teammate Richonell Margaret was shown a red card for reacting to the crowd’s comments. We considered stopping the match and going inside. The Guatemalan players also apologised to us, and we agreed that both teams - regardless of the result - would go straight inside after the match without thanking the crowd.”
The Guatemalan players did not follow through on their promise, the goalkeeper revealed.
"They scored the winning goal just before the final whistle, and after the final whistle had blown, they still went out of their way to thank the crowd; when we went to confront them, they called us a ‘shit country’ and a scuffle broke out."
The rest of the game saw both sides fight on several occasions, and Guatemalan police had to separate the players. Vaessen actively engaged in the fights and explained why.
"We should have kept our cool and stayed out of this situation, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to do that. Yes, and I, too, should have been sensible and walked away. But I stood up for my teammates, and I think that’s only human. As a human being, you’re vulnerable when injustice is done, and nothing is done about it.”
Referee Joe Dickerson tried to start the anti-discrimination protocol during the game by crossing his arms several times, but the protocol, which involves a warning from the stadium announcer, the temporary suspension and, ultimately, the abandonment of the match, was not followed correctly.
The Suriname FA filed an official complaint with CONCACAF about the racist incidents earlier this week.
'CONCACAF and FIFA cannot continue to turn a blind eye'
Suriname general manager Brian Tevreden said that the result (a 1-0 loss for Suriname) was of minor importance and aimed his criticism at FIFA and CONCACAF.
"CONCACAF and FIFA cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this sort of behaviour. It may be part and parcel of the sport for home fans to boo the opposition, but it is absolutely going too far to do so by making monkey noises," Tevreden told De Volkskrant.
"Of course, a player has to rise above it, but Margaret is just a human being with feelings. And what happens? The player is punished, our team is put at a disadvantage, whilst the perpetrators get off scot-free."
Under-fire FIFA President Gianni Infantino responded to the racist incidents on social media by condemning the actions of the Guatemalan fans.
"There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in football. The racist abuse directed at Suriname's players during last night's Concacaf Nations League match in Guatemala is absolutely unacceptable," Infantino said.
"Everyone at FIFA, The Players' Voice Panel and the whole football community stands firmly with any player, coach, match official, supporter or participant in a football match who has experienced racism or any other form of discrimination.
"We will continue to offer our unequivocal support to the Suriname Football Association, to ensure strong deterrents are in place and actions are taken to eradicate racism and discrimination from our game."
Surinamese players were targeted in racist incidents more often in recent times, with a World Cup qualifier in El Salvador overshadowed by racist chants from the stands.