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Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent
Spanish police arrested three people in connection with racist insults aimed at Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal And Raphinha over the past month Classic at the Bernabéu.
Yamal and Raphinha both found the net in the Barça match 4-0 victory on Real Madrid when, towards the end of the match, they were insulted by the supporters present in the stadium.
“Three arrests were made for racist insults against two footballers during the October Clásico,” the statement said. police confirmed on social media SATURDAY.
“Those arrested made xenophobic comments which undermined the dignity and moral integrity of the two players.”
The investigation was opened after LaLiga reported the incident to the police.
“The arrests follow a complaint filed by LaLiga which provided recordings of the incidents and a report from a lip-reading expert to the police,” the statement said. the league said in a statement SATURDAY.
“In La Liga, we continue to fight to end racism inside and outside of football.”
La Liga’s fight against racism is increasingly in the spotlight following repeated abuse of Vinicius Junior in stadiums across the country.
Speaking this week, the Real Madrid striker said he had “I suffered a lot and I still suffer» due to the racism he has suffered since his arrival in the country in 2018.
However, he added that progress had been made in recent months, with perpetrators increasingly being identified.
In June, three Valence the fans were imprisoned for eight months for racist abuse of Vinícius during a La Liga match in May 2023, in the first verdict of its kind in Spain.
In September, a Spanish court sentenced to 12 months in prison to a Majorca supporter who used racist insults against Vinícius and Villarreal‘s Samuel Chukwueze in February 2023.
Last month, The Spanish National Police arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Brazil international.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for prison sentences for fans who racially insult players during matches. telling ESPN in September the league “will fight to the end”.
Vinícius was among the first to condemn racist insults addressed to the Barcelona players by the supporters during the Classic after the match.
“What happened is terrible and there is no place for these criminals in our society,” he said. “I know that Madrid and the police will act to identify and punish the culprits.”
This is also not the first case of racism involving Barça striker Yamal, who has become one of the team’s key players since his debut at the age of 15 in 2023.
Earlier this year, Movistar expert Germán “Mono” Burgos was fired for a racist comment he made towards the teenager before Barca’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.