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RACISM

Referee stops Spanish league match over ‘monkey chants’

A referee was forced to halt play during Sunday's Spanish league match between Sporting Gijon and visiting Athletic Bilbao because of racist chants aimed at Bilbao player Iñaki Williams.

Referee stops Spanish league match over 'monkey chants'
Athletic Bilbao's Iñaki Williams during the match. Photo: AFP

Referee Clos Gomez wrote in his match report that he suspended play during the first half when he said he heard “monkey calls” being shouted from one section of El Molinon Stadium directed at Williams.

Gomez explained that play was only suspended for a minute while a warning given by the public announcer. The abusive insults then stopped.

The 22-year-old player was born and raised in Bilbao by a Ghanaian father and Liberian mother, and joined Athletic’s youth squad when he was 18, becoming the first black player to score for the 'Basque only' club in 2014. 

Since then he has made over 60 appearances for his club and earned his first national team cap for Spain in May.

The issue of racism in Spain’s favourite sport was highlighted in 2014 when Barça’s Dani Alves paused to pick up a banana thrown at him during a game.

 

 

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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