"Under Uefa's protocol, the referee will stop a game if a player reports alleged racism, and give details to the fourth official. Espanyol later posted a picture of 22-year-old Spain-born Morocco international El Hilali on social media with the message "with you". La Liga said: "We condemn any racist act. On the field and off it, there is no place for those who hate.""
"The racism protocol was recently used in a Champions League game when Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr told the match referee he had been racially abused by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni during the first leg of the play-off tie between the clubs. The Argentina international has denied the allegation but missed the second leg after being given a one-match ban by Uefa pending the result of a full investigation."
"Vinicius has also suffered a number of incidents of racist abuse during games in Spain. He was targeted Real Madrid's match against Real Valladolid in September 2022. As a result, five people were handed suspended prison sentences in May 2025 for racially abusing the Brazil international in an "unprecedented" ruling in Spain."
During Sunday's La Liga match between Elche and Espanyol, referee Iosu Galech Apezteguia halted play in the 78th minute after Espanyol's Omar El Hilali reported that Elche's Rafa Mir made a racist comment to him. Under UEFA's racism protocol, the referee stops the game when a player reports alleged racism and informs the fourth official. Espanyol showed support for El Hilali on social media. La Liga condemned any racist acts, while Elche called for caution citing absence of evidence. The match ended 2-2 with Mir scoring a penalty in the 90th minute. This incident reflects ongoing racism issues in Spanish football, with similar protocols recently applied in Champions League matches involving Vinicius Jr.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]