La Liga and Real Madrid have condemned the racist abuse directed at Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal during Saturday’s El Clasico at the Bernabeu.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show some home fans taunting the 17-year-old Spaniard as he celebrated his 77th-minute goal by pointing to his name on his jersey.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice, with Raphinha adding another, as Barcelona secured a 4-0 victory, extending their lead over Real Madrid by six points at the top of La Liga.
A La Liga statement read: “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 Co-ordinating Prosecutor of the Hate Crimes and Discrimination unit of the State Attorney General’s office.
“La Liga vehemently condemns the incidents at the Santiago Bernabeu and remains firm in its commitment to eradicate any kind of racist behaviour and hatred inside and outside stadiums.”
Real Madrid earlier said they had opened an investigation to identify the fans.
A club statement read: “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.
“Real Madrid has opened an investigation in order to locate and identify the perpetrators of these deplorable and despicable insults so that the appropriate disciplinary and judicial measures can be taken.”
Spain’s Minister of Migration and Inclusion, Elma Saiz, stated, “We will not allow aggressions that we would not tolerate elsewhere to become normalized in sports.”
In response to a rise in racist abuse, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga have implemented measures, including partial stadium closures.
Recently, four individuals were arrested for allegedly leading an online hate campaign targeting Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. The campaign reportedly encouraged fans to racially abuse the 24-year-old Brazilian and to wear black face masks to avoid identification, according to police.
In a related case, three Valencia fans received eight-month prison sentences in June for racially abusing Vinicius during a match in May 2023.