SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOTBALL

Spanish football match suspended amid ‘Nazi’ chanting

A second division match in Spain between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete was suspended at half-time on Sunday after Rayo fans sang songs calling Albacete's Roman Zozulya a "Nazi".

Spanish football match suspended amid 'Nazi' chanting
A second division match in Spain between Rayo Vallecano andRayo fans sang songs calling Albacete's Roman Zozulya a "Nazi". File photo: AFP

The game was stopped during the first period at Vallecas and then suspended at the interval after Rayo supporters had chanted “puta Nazi”, meaning “fucking Nazi” at Zozulya, who joined Rayo on loan in 2017.

An Albacete statement read: “With the backing of @RayoVallecano, Albacete Balompie and of @LaLiga, the referee and the @rfef, it has been decided to suspend the game in Vallecas.

“A decision made with the sole objective of safeguarding the values of the sport we love and our competition.”

Rayo Vallecano wrote on Twitter: “Due to the repeated chants and insults made during the first half of the #RayoAlbacete game, the match is suspended.”    

Zozulya joined Rayo on loan in 2017 from Real Betis but never made an appearance for the club after his spell was cut short due to opposition from Rayo fans, who are renowned for being politically left-wing.

The Ukraine forward wrote an open letter to Rayo's supporters denying any links to neo-Nazi groups but some fans still attended his first training session with a banner that read Vallecas was “not a place for Nazis”.

Sunday's game was goalless at half-time, although Albacete were down to 10 men after their midfielder Eddy Silvestre had been sent off.    

“It's a very sad night for Rayo and the sport,” said Rayo club president Raul Martin Presa.

“We strongly condemn the insults that a section of the supporters, at the back, uttered towards an opposing player. We feel pain and shame after what happened.”

Presa said he had spoken to and “kissed” Zozulya, because he is “a human being and deserves respect”. 

Albacete vice-president Victor Varela said he wanted to highlight “the exemplary behaviour of Rayo”, in solidarity with their rivals.    

“During the first half, friends told me that the player was in tears and he collapsed when he returned to the dressing room.” 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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

SHOW COMMENTS