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RACISM

Bellingham ‘used to’ racist abuse in Spain as calls for action fall on deaf ears

Jude Bellingham said he and his Real Madrid teammates have become accustomed to dealing with racist abuse at away grounds in Spain, but the England international does not believe the authorities will do enough to quell the problem.

Bellingham 'used to' racist abuse in Spain as calls for action fall on deaf ears
Real Madrid's English midfielder #5 Jude Bellingham reacts at the end of the UEFA Champions League quarter final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 9, 2024. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)

A racist gesture was made towards France’s Aurelien Tchouameni after he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Real Mallorca on Saturday.

Brazilian star Vinicius Junior has been a repeated target of racial abuse and Bellingham said he and his teammates were “used to” have to deal with “horrible” treatment.

“I think in the games where we go away in La Liga especially, you almost get so used to it,” said Bellingham at a pre-match press conference ahead of Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final, second leg away to Manchester City.

“I think it’s a horrible way for a player to have to prepare for a game knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen. The people in power need to do more.”

Mallorca publicly condemned the gesture and said they are working with police to identify the culprit.

Bellingham said he had not even been aware of the incident, racist abuse is so frequent.

“It’s definitely a call out for the people who are in charge to take control,” he added.

“I doubt that will happen and it’s going to be something that I imagine we will still have to just deal with going into games.”

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RACISM

Atlético Madrid win appeal over racist abuse sanction

The Spanish Football Federation on Thursday accepted Atlético Madrid's appeal against a partial stadium ban after racial abuse directed at Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams.

Atlético Madrid win appeal over racist abuse sanction

Atlético were initially ordered to partially close their stadium for two La Liga matches following monkey chants heard by Spain international Williams at Atlético’s Metropolitano stadium last month.

The federation pointed to Atlético’s “active cooperation” in their decision to lift the stadium ban and a €20,000 ($21,350) fine.

Williams heard the abuse when he went to take a corner. He subsequently scored, pointing to his arm in reference to his skin colour, in his side’s 3-1 defeat on April 28th.

“There weren’t many of them. There are stupid people everywhere… I hope this changes bit by bit” he said after the match.

Atlético identified the person responsible for the abuse from cameras in the stadium. He was handed over to the police when the game ended, and banned from the club.

The federation praised Atlético’s swift action in what they accepted was “an isolated incident”.

Spanish football has suffered a spate of racist incidents in recent years, many of which have been aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

The Brazil international earned global support after facing off with a fan who was abusing him last year at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, which also faced subsequent partial closure.

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