Barcelona's Spanish forward Lamine Yamal was tackled by Real Madrid's French defender Ferland Mendy during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Saturday. — AFP
LaLiga and Real Madrid responded forcefully on Sunday following allegations of racist insults directed at Barcelona players during the match at the Santiago Bernabeu. Spanish media reported that 17-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, of Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan descent, was subjected to xenophobic and racist abuse. Barcelona emerged victorious with a 4-0 win, with Yamal among the goal 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 stated in a release. "LaLiga vehemently condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains steadfast in its commitment to eliminate any form of racist behavior and hatred both inside and outside stadiums."
Real Madrid announced they had initiated an investigation to identify the perpetrators to take appropriate action. "Real Madrid strongly condemns any form of behavior 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 stated.
Barcelona did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga have implemented measures to address the rise in racist abuse, including partial stadium closures. Four individuals were arrested and questioned in Spain on Thursday on suspicion of orchestrating an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. in the lead-up 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.
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