Just a day after the match between Spain and Egypt, which sparked widespread controversy, Spain witnessed another incident of racism on Wednesday.
The match ended in a goalless draw, but fans at the stadium booed during the playing of the Egyptian national anthem, before chanting insults against Islam.
The Spanish government, the Spanish Football Federation, and many prominent Spanish figures – most notably La Roja manager Luis de La Fuente and team star Lamine Yamal – condemned what happened at the stadium.
Today, a new incident occurred during the match between Sporting Gijón and Racing in the Spanish second division.
The newspaper *Marca* reported: “Borja Jiménez, the manager of Sporting Gijón, called the referee over in the 36th minute to tell him that he was being subjected to abuse from the stands at El Sardinero stadium… Play resumed one minute later.”
Referee Daniel Balencia informed the match delegate, and an announcement was made over the loudspeakers. Although the announcement confirmed that the match had been halted due to racist abuse, the referee did not cross his arms, as is customary under the protocol, but merely spoke with the coach and the Racing delegate.
Racing quickly identified the two individuals in the stands, who were believed to be the ones insulting Borja Jiménez, and, accompanied by security personnel, asked them to leave their seats and exit the stadium.
Borja Jiménez spoke about the incident after the match, saying: “I think it’s a matter of awareness; it seems everyone has become accustomed to insults in football, and that is unacceptable.”
He added: “It’s not just Racing fans; our own fans do it too – they insulted Pacheta – and now everyone does. We know we can’t generalise about all fans, but it’s a shame that some people come to the stadium to insult rather than enjoy the football. I don’t think we should normalise this behaviour.”
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