Real Madrid and football and government authorities voiced disgust over racist abuse hurled at FC Barcelona players in Saturday’s El Clasico. Spain has begun handing down long prison sentences for such acts.
Teams, leagues and governing bodies have struggled desperately to stamp racism out of the game
Real Madrid on Sunday strongly condemned the racist behavior of its fans at the El Clasico football match, which saw Madrid thumped 4-0 by rival FC Barcelona on Saturday.
Several Black Barcelona players, including 17-year-old phenom and Spanish national team player Lamine Yamal, faced racist insults during the game.
Yamal, for instance, was targeted with abuse after becoming the youngest player ever to score a goal in El Clasico, the name for the match between Spain’s two biggest clubs.
Real, Spain’s La Liga and its governing football body RFEF, as well as numerous government and police agencies, all condemned the situation, promising swift and harsh punishment for the perpetrators.
Real Madrid on Sunday said it had already launched an investigation, releasing a statement that read: “Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind 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.”
“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 Coordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit of the State Attorney General’s Office,” read a league statement.
“La Liga vehemently condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains firm in its commitment to eradicate any kind of racist behavior and hatred inside and outside stadiums.”
The RFEF, Spanish football’s governing body, called racism a “social scourge,” vowing zero-tolerance for racist abuse and violence.
In the past, RFEF and La Liga have gone so far as to close stadiums over such behavior.
The Spanish Supreme Sports Council (CSD) said that its Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance would convene on Monday to discuss the case.
