MADRID :LaLiga and Real Madrid reacted strongly on Sunday after racist insults were allegedly directed at Barcelona players during Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Spanish media reported that 17-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, who is of Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan heritage, was targeted with xenophobic and racist abuse. Barcelona won the game 4-0 with Yamal among the scorers.
“LaLiga will immediately report the racist insults and gestures received by Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade, as well as informing the Coordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit of the State Attorney General’s Office,” LaLiga said in a statement.
“LaLiga vehemently condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains firm in its commitment to eradicate any kind of racist behaviour and hatred inside and outside stadiums.”
Real Madrid said they had opened an investigation to identify the perpetrators so that appropriate action can be taken.
“Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind of behaviour involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults that a few fans uttered last night in one of the corners of the stadium,” the club said in a statement.
Barcelona did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Spain’s minister for Migration and Inclusion, Elma Saiz Delgado, also condemned the incident.
“The racist insults directed at Lamine Yamal during El Clasico are everything we will fight against from the Government,” she said in a statement on Sunday.
“We will not allow aggressions that we do not tolerate in other spaces to become normalized in sports. Total support for the players and for the complaint from LaLiga.”
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga have taken steps to tackle an increase in racist abuse with measures including partial stadium closures.
Four people were arrested and questioned in Spain on Thursday on suspicion of conducting an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. in the buildup to their match against Atletico Madrid last month.
In June, the Magistrate’s Court of Valencia issued the first conviction for racist insults in a soccer stadium in Spain.
