Real Madrid Takes Stand Against Racism After Barcelona Players Face Abuse
Real Madrid has condemned racist behavior exhibited by some of their supporters towards Barcelona players, including teenagers Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde, during the club's 4-0 defeat in El Clasico on Saturday.
La Liga announced it would report these incidents to the Spanish authorities, with the government also criticizing the abuse.
In a statement released Sunday, Real Madrid said, "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."
Following the match, videos surfaced on social media showing racial abuse directed at Barcelona players, particularly aimed at 17-year-old Yamal during a goal celebration after he became the youngest scorer in Clasico history.
Real Madrid has initiated an investigation to locate and identify those responsible for these "deplorable and despicable insults." La Liga added, "La Liga will immediately report the racist insults and gestures directed at Barcelona players to the hate crime unit of the national police."
Vinicius Junior, a forward for Real Madrid who has faced racial abuse himself in Spain, expressed support for Yamal and other players affected. He stated on social media platform X, "It's regrettable what happened yesterday at the Bernabeu with the racist insults. There's no space for these criminals in our society. All my support to Lamine, Ansu (Fati) and Raphinha. I know that Madrid and the police will work to identify and punish those guilty."
Spain's sports council (CSD) plans to meet on Monday to discuss the situation through their Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance in sport. The CSD remarked, "The Clasico is one of the greatest spectacles in the world, a true expression of the importance that football has in our country. In it, as in any other sporting event, there can never be any room for expressions of violence, racism, xenophobia, hatred or intolerance."
Pilar Alegria, Spain's minister for education, professional development, and sports, reinforced this sentiment on social media, stating, "Neither racism, nor insults, nor violence have a place in our country's sport." Additionally, Elma Saiz, Spain's minister for inclusion and migration, condemned the racial insults directed at Yamal, saying, "The racist insults aimed at Lamine Yamal in the Clasico are everything we in the government will fight against. We will not allow attacks that we do not tolerate in other spaces to become normalised in sport."
Spanish football continues to grapple with racism in stadiums. Vinicius has become a prominent figure in the fight against such behavior, having faced multiple incidents since arriving in Spain in 2018. His stance gained global attention in May 2023 when he confronted Valencia supporters who had subjected him to abuse at their Mestalla stadium. Following this, three Valencia supporters received sentences of eight months in prison.
In January 2023, an effigy of Vinicius in a club jersey was discovered hanging from a bridge near the team's training ground with a banner reading, "Madrid hates Real." Four Atletico Madrid fans were charged over this incident, with prosecutors seeking prison terms of four years.
This week, Spanish police arrested four men suspected of inciting an online hate campaign against Vinicius.