El Clasico: Spanish government investigates racism incident against Lamine Yamal

The Spanish government, LaLiga and Real Madrid reacted strongly on Sunday after reports of racist insults against Barcelona players during Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu. Spanish media indicated that 17-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, of Equatorial Guinean and Moroccan descent, was the target of xenophobic and racist abuse. Barcelona triumphed over arch-rivals Real Madrid with a score of 4-0with Yamal among the goalscorers.

Spain’s Supreme Council for Sport (CSD) has issued a statement condemning the racist incidents during El Clasico and will meet on Monday to discuss the issue. The State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, which is responsible for investigating the case, includes the CSD, the Spanish Police, the Guardia Civil, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), LaLiga and the Office of the Prosecutor -general.

“LaLiga will immediately report the racist insults and gestures directed against Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Unit of the National Police Information Brigade, and inform the coordinating prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit of the Public Prosecution Service,” LaLiga said. .

The organization underlined its strong condemnation of the incidents at Santiago Bernabeu and reiterated its commitment to eradicating any form of racist behavior and hatred in and around stadiums.

Real Madrid has announced that it has launched an investigation to identify those responsible so that appropriate action can be taken. “Real Madrid strongly condemns any behavior involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults uttered last night by some fans in one of the corners of the stadium,” the club said .

Barcelona has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters. Spain’s Minister of Migration and Inclusion, Elma Saiz, also denounced the incident, saying: “We will not allow aggression that we do not tolerate in other areas to become normalized in sport.”

The RFEF and LaLiga have implemented measures to tackle rising cases of racist abuse, including partial stadium closures. Earlier this month, four people were arrested and interrogated in Spain on suspicion of orchestrating an online hate campaign that encouraged fans to target Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid to racially abuse in the run-up to their match against Atletico Madrid. In June, the Valencia court handed down the first conviction for racist insults at a football stadium in Spain.