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FOOTBALL

Women’s football match draws record crowd in Madrid

A record crowd of 60,739 watched a women's match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday, less than three months before the start of the World Cup.

Women's football match draws record crowd in Madrid
Atletico Madrid's midfielder Silvia Meseguer (L) vies with Barcelona FC's midfielder Vicky Losada during the match on Sunday. Photo: AFP

The attendance is the largest ever for a top-flight club match in European women's football while Atletico claimed the number also sets a new world record. 

“An historic record attendance for a club match! Today we have at the Wanda Metropolitano 60,739 spectators!”, read a post from the club's official Twitter account. 

“The crowd cheered up our girls and set a world record for an attendance at a women's club match,” Atletico added in a statement.    

Barça won 2-0 as goals from Asisat Oshoala and Toni Duggan mean the Catalans now sit just three points behind Atletico at the top of Liga Femenina. 

The bumper attendance exceeds the previous European record set, also in Spain, on January 30, when a crowd of 48,121 turned out to watch Athletic Bilbao play Atletico Madrid at San Mames stadium. 

The overall record for women's football remains the 90,185 spectators that attended the final of the 1999 World Cup at the Rose Bowl in California, when the United States beat China. 

This year's World Cup in France will begin on June 7th. Spain have qualified and will be in Group B, with Germany, China and South Africa.

READ ALSO: Barça under fire as men's team fly business class, women go economy

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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”.

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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