The Spanish government joins the investigation into racist insults at the Bernabeu

MADRID: The Spanish government, LaLiga and Real Madrid reacted sharply on Sunday after alleged racist insults were directed at Barcelona players during Saturday’s match at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Spanish media reported that 17-year-old Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal, from Equatorial Guinea and Morocco, was among the players who were the target of xenophobic and racist attacks during El Clasico. Barcelona defeated their eternal rival Real 4-0, with Yamal among the scorers.

Spain’s Supreme Sports Council (CSD) condemned the incidents and said it would meet on Monday to discuss the matter.

National Commission for the Prevention of Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, CSD, Police and Civil Guard, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), LaLiga and the Office of the Attorney General.

“LaLiga will immediately report racist insults and gestures towards Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade, and will also inform the Coordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit of the Office of the Attorney General,” LaLiga said. in a statement.

“LaLiga strongly condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains committed to rooting out all manifestations of racist behavior and hatred inside and outside the stadiums.”

Real Madrid investigation

Real Madrid said it had launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators and take action.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns any behavior involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport and deeply regrets the insults that were uttered by several fans in a corner of the stadium last night,” the club said in a statement.

Barcelona did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The incident was also condemned by Spanish Migration Minister Elma Saiz.

“We will not allow aggression, which we do not tolerate in other spaces, to become normalized in sports,” she said in a statement.

The RFEF said it enforces a zero-tolerance policy for racist abuse and violence in stadiums, calling it a “social scourge”.

“The RFEF will work with all individuals and institutions within sport and society to end violence and insults in sporting venues and events,” the RFEF said.

The RFEF and LaLiga have taken steps to address the increase in racist violence, with measures including the partial closure of stadiums.

On Thursday, four people were arrested and interrogated in Spain on charges of running an online hate campaign encouraging fans to racially abuse Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr. in the build-up to the match against Atletico Madrid last month.

In June, the Valencia Magistrates’ Court handed down the first conviction for racist insults at a football stadium in Spain following an investigation into racist insults directed at Vinicius at the Mastella Stadium.

Vinicius, who has become a prominent figure in the fight against racism both in Spain and around the world in football, showed his support for Barcelona’s players after suffering multiple incidents of racist attacks over the past two years.

“There is no place in our society for these criminals,” he said of perpetrators of violence. “I know that Madrid and the police will do everything to identify and punish those responsible.”