Racist chants and insults, which have recently become a big problem in Spanish football, came to the fore again with the racist remarks made to Spanish football player Lamine Yamal from the stands during the Real Madrid-Barcelona match, also known as El Clasico.
17-year-old Lamine Yamal, the child of a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, was subjected to racist insults by a group of fans in the stadium after scoring his third goal in Barcelona’s match against Real Madrid on October 26.
The Spanish 1st Football League (LaLiga) stated that racist remarks cannot be tolerated and announced that it will file a criminal complaint against Yamal regarding the racist attacks coming from the Real Madrid stands.
Real Madrid also condemned the racist remarks against the football player and announced that an internal investigation was launched to identify those responsible.
NICO WILLIAMS DEDICATES HIMSELF TO FIGHTING RACISM
Nico Williams, the young forward of Ghanaian origin for the Spanish National Team and La Liga team Athletic Bilbao, stated in his statement on October 14 that he sees it as the greatest goal of his life to fight against racist attacks against black football players in the country.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) imposed a two-game partial closure of Atletico Madrid’s south stand after the 22-year-old young star was exposed to racist insults from Atletico Madrid fans last season.
SPAIN IS EXPERIENCED ITS BIGGEST REPUTATION CRISIS
Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, to which the clubs in the 1st and 2nd football leagues in Spain are affiliated, said that Spanish football was experiencing one of the biggest reputation crises in history due to racism and corruption scandals in September.
Tebas, in his statement to state television TVE, reminded that the recent events in women’s football led to the resignation of former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales, and that there were allegations of payments being made to obtain information from referees regarding the bribery accusation against the Barcelona Club and Real Madrid football player Vinicius. He emphasized that racist discourses against Spain caused serious damage to Spanish football.
Pointing out that Spain is experiencing the biggest reputation crisis in modern football, Tebas said: “Corruption in sports is not just about purchasing (referee or player) or match results, it is also about trying to influence someone and this is a crime.” made his assessment.
