Real Madrid condemned on Sunday the racist behavior of several of its supporters who were filmed hurling racist insults at Barcelona players Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde during Saturday’s Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu, which ended in a 4-0 victory for the Catalan club.
In a statement, the Spanish club said: “Real Madrid strongly condemns any type of racist, xenophobic, or violent behavior in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults made last night by some supporters in one corner of the stadium.” This statement came after videos circulated on social media showing Real Madrid fans directing racist insults at the Spanish players while they were celebrating the third goal scored by Yamal.
The Spanish champions confirmed that they “have opened an investigation to identify and locate the perpetrators of these deplorable and contemptible insults, to take appropriate disciplinary and legal measures.”
Despite measures taken by La Liga and increasingly severe sanctions from clubs and authorities, Spanish football continues to struggle with racism in its stadiums. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has become a symbol in the fight against racism, having been the most frequent target since his arrival in Spain in 2018, though only some of these incidents have resulted in sanctions.
In a related development, four individuals were arrested on Thursday for inciting hatred before the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico on September 29, after calling on supporters to wear masks to hurl insults without being identified.
In June 2023, four Atletico ultras were banned from stadiums for two years after hanging a dummy representing Vinicius on a bridge in the Spanish capital, with criminal proceedings against them still ongoing.
Last September, a Mallorca supporter was sentenced to 12 months in prison and received a three-year stadium ban for racist insults directed at the Real Madrid star and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze.