FEATURED: La Liga and Real Madrid have strongly condemned the racist abuse aimed at Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal during Saturday’s El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 17-year-old Spaniard appeared to face taunts from sections of Real Madrid fans as he celebrated his 77th-minute goal, pointing to his name on the back of his jersey in front of the home crowd.
The match saw Barcelona deliver a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice and Raphinha adding another, propelling Barcelona to a six-point lead at the top of La Liga.
In a statement, La Liga expressed its commitment to combating racism in football: “La Liga 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 Co-ordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination unit of the State Attorney General’s office. La Liga 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 also responded, stating that the club had launched an investigation to identify those responsible. “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. Real Madrid has opened an investigation in order to locate and identify the perpetrators of these deplorable and despicable insults so that the appropriate disciplinary and judicial measures can be taken.”
In response to rising incidents of racial abuse in Spanish football, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga have implemented stricter measures, including partial stadium closures.
Last week, authorities arrested four individuals accused of conducting an online campaign inciting racist abuse against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., calling on fans to wear black face masks to avoid detection. Three Valencia fans were also sentenced to eight months in prison this past June for racially abusing Vinicius during a May 2023 match.
