Spanish government joins investigation into racism targeting Barca players at Bernabeu

The Spanish government, La Liga and Real Madrid issued a harsh response on Sunday following reports that racist insults were made towards Barcelona players during Saturday’s match at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Spanish media revealed that 17-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, of Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan origin, was among those who were subjected to xenophobic and racist harassment in El Clasico, where Barcelona defeated its arch-rival Real Madrid 4-0 with Yamal. contributes to the scoreboard.

Spain’s Supreme Sports Council (CSD) condemned the incidents and announced that it would meet on Monday to address the issue. Participating in the response are the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, as well as the CSD, the police, Civil Security, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga and the State Attorney General’s Office.

“La Liga will immediately report any racist insults and gestures received by Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade and will also inform the Coordinating Prosecutor of the State Attorney General’s Office Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit,” La Liga said. In the statement made by Liga, the following statements were made:

“La Liga strongly condemns the events at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains committed to eliminating all forms of racist behavior and hatred inside and outside stadiums.”

Investigation

Real Madrid said it had launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators so that action could be taken.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns any act of racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport and deeply regrets the insults uttered by several fans in a corner of the stadium last night,” the club said in a statement. expressions were used.

Barcelona did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Spanish Minister of Immigration Elma Saiz also condemned the incident.

“We will not allow aggression that we do not tolerate in other areas to become normal in sports,” he said in the statement.

The RFEF said it had a zero-tolerance policy towards racist abuse and violence in stadiums, describing it as a “social scourge”.

“RFEF will work with all individuals and institutions that are part of sport and society to put an end to violence and insults in sports venues and events,” RFEF said. he said.

RFEF and La Liga have taken steps to combat the rise in racist abuse, including measures such as the partial closure of stadiums.

Four men were arrested and questioned in Spain on Thursday on suspicion of running an online hate campaign that encouraged fans to racially abuse Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. during the build-up to their match against Atletico Madrid last month.

In June, the Valencian Magistrates’ Court handed down the first conviction for racial slurs at a football stadium in Spain, following an investigation into racist slurs directed at Vinicius at the Mestalla Stadium.

Vinicius, who has emerged as a prominent figure in the fight against racism both in Spain and in world football, after being subjected to numerous incidents of racist abuse in the last two years, showed his support for Barcelona players.

“There is no place for these criminals in our society,” he said of abusers. “I know Madrid and the police will do their best to identify and punish the criminals.”

Investigation

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