Lamine Yamal Faces Racist Abuse During El Clasico

Lamine Yamal faced racist abuse during Saturday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Social media videos showed the 17-year-old Spaniard being taunted by a section of home fans after he celebrated his 77th-minute goal by pointing to his name on the back of his shirt. Barcelona secured a convincing 4-0 victory with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice and Raphinha adding another goal which put them six points clear at the top of La Liga.

Both Real Madrid and La Liga condemned the racist behavior but did not specify which Barcelona players received the abuse. However, Real’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. highlighted Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati in a statement on X, expressing his support: “It’s regrettable what happened yesterday at the Bernabeu with racist insults. There is no place for these criminals in our society.”

La Liga announced that it would report the racist insults directed at Barcelona players to the Hate Crimes Section of the National Police Information Brigade. The league reiterated its commitment to combating racism and hatred in and around stadiums. Meanwhile, Real Madrid initiated an investigation to identify the fans responsible, stating, “Real Madrid strongly condemns any form of racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport.”

Spain’s migration and inclusion minister, Elma Saiz emphasized the importance of not normalizing such aggression in sports. In response to rising incidents of racism, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga have implemented measures such as partial stadium closures. Recently, authorities arrested four individuals for orchestrating an online hate campaign against Vinicius which encouraged supporters to racially abuse the player while concealing their identities.