Another Racism Scandal in Spain

The issue of racism has come to the forefront again following racist remarks directed at Spanish player Lamine Yamal during the Real Madrid-Barcelona match. Lamine Yamal, a 17-year-old who is the child of a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, faced racist abuse from a group of fans after scoring his third goal in a match against Real Madrid on October 26.

LaLiga stated that it would file a complaint regarding the racist attacks on Yamal from the Real Madrid stands, emphasizing that racist remarks will not be tolerated. Real Madrid also condemned the racist comments aimed at the player and announced that an internal investigation had been initiated to identify those responsible.

Previously, a young individual who exhibited racist behavior towards Aurelien Tchouameni after he scored a goal for Real Madrid against Mallorca on April 13, 2024, was banned from stadiums for a year and fined 4,000 euros.

Target of Racism: Vinicius Jr.
The insults directed at Yamal and Tchouameni bring to mind Real Madrid’s Brazilian player Vinicius Junior, who has increasingly been the target of racism in Spanish football. The Spanish judiciary has handed down prison sentences, fines, and bans from sporting events to four individuals linked to two separate racist incidents involving Vinicius in June and September.

Most recently, four individuals were arrested for initiating a hate-filled racist campaign against Vinicius on social media before the Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid match on September 29. The 24-year-old star player, who has faced repeated racist chants, expressed in an interview in May that “racist chants occur in every match,” tearing up as he spoke about how fans attack him based on his skin color for poor performances.

The Palma de Mallorca administrative court announced that a Mallorca fan, identified for making racist remarks against Vinicius and then Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze during two different matches played in Mallorca on February 5-18, 2023, received six-month prison sentences and a three-year ban from all stadiums.

A notable case in the fight against racism in Spain was when a supporter was prosecuted for racist insults directed at Athletic Bilbao’s black player Iñaki Williams during the Espanyol-Athletic Bilbao match on January 25, 2020. The Spanish fan is facing two years in prison, a five-year ban from stadiums, and a restraining order against Iñaki Williams.

Nico Williams Dedicated to Fighting Racism
Nico Williams, a Ghanaian-born forward for the Spain national team and La Liga club Athletic Bilbao, stated on October 14 that combating racist attacks against black players in the country is his life’s greatest goal. After the young star faced racist insults from Atlético Madrid fans last season, the RFEF imposed a two-match partial closure on Atlético Madrid’s south stand.

Victim of Racism Penalized
The RFEF Disciplinary Committee faced significant backlash for punishing Cheikh Sarr, a Senegalese goalkeeper for Rayo Majadahonda, with a two-match ban after he reacted to racist remarks made by a spectator during the Sestao-Rayo Majadahonda match on March 30. The incident occurred in the 87th minute, where Sarr confronted the individual who insulted him, resulting in a red card from the referee.

Following this decision, Rayo Majadahonda refused to return to the field, leading to the match being suspended. Although the RFEF condemned racism in football following this incident, Sarr received a two-match ban.

Getafe Penalized for Racism
The RFEF Disciplinary Committee also penalized Getafe for racist chants directed at Sevilla player Marcos Acuña and manager Quique Sánchez Flores during the Getafe-Sevilla match played in March. The committee announced a 27,000 euro fine and a three-match partial stadium closure due to the racist chants of “monkey” directed at Acuña and “Gypsy” directed at Flores.

The Spanish media commented on the RFEF’s decisions against racism in football as “exemplary punishment,” suggesting that future measures against racism on the pitch will be more determined and stringent.

Spain Faces Major Reputation Crisis Due to Increasing Racism
Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, stated in September that Spanish football is experiencing one of the biggest reputation crises in its history due to incidents of racism and corruption scandals. Tebas emphasized that recent events in women’s football leading to the resignation of former RFEF president Luis Rubiales, allegations regarding bribery involving referees related to FC Barcelona, and racist remarks aimed at Vinicius have severely harmed Spanish football.

Highlighting that Spain is undergoing a significant reputation crisis in modern football, Tebas remarked, “Corruption in sports is not only about buying (referees or players) or match results; it can also occur by trying to influence someone, and this is a crime.”