Following Saturday’s El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, both La Liga and Real Madrid have publicly condemned racist abuse aimed at Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal. Videos circulating online appear to show segments of the crowd taunting the 17-year-old after he celebrated his 77th-minute goal by pointing to his name on the back of his shirt. The young Spaniard played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s emphatic 4-0 victory, which extended their lead to six points ahead of Real Madrid in the league standings.
Barcelona’s win was further bolstered by two goals from Robert Lewandowski, while Raphinha rounded off the scoring. However, the triumph was overshadowed by racist behavior from certain fans, prompting swift responses from both Real Madrid and La Liga.
Real Madrid and La Liga Take Action Against Racism
In a statement, La Liga condemned the incidents, announcing plans to report the racist insults and gestures directed at Barcelona players to Spain’s Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade. The league also plans to inform the Co-ordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination unit within the State Attorney General’s office. La Liga reiterated its dedication to eradicating racism from stadiums and the sport, expressing strong disapproval of the behavior exhibited at the Bernabeu.
Similarly, Real Madrid issued a statement decrying the actions of a few supporters, who engaged in what the club described as “deplorable and despicable insults.” The club confirmed it has launched an investigation to identify those responsible and intends to take disciplinary and legal action.
Spain’s Authorities and Football Federation Respond
Spain’s migration and inclusion minister, Elma Saiz, emphasized the need to prevent normalization of such behavior in sports, highlighting that attacks tolerated in no other space should not become accepted in stadiums. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), alongside La Liga, has been working to address the rising trend of racist incidents in football, introducing measures such as partial stadium closures to mitigate the issue.
This comes amid other recent actions targeting racist abuse, including arrests made last week in connection with an online hate campaign against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., where fans were encouraged to disguise themselves with black face masks to avoid identification. Additionally, in June, three Valencia fans received prison sentences for racially abusing Vinicius during a May 2023 match.
