Spanish football club RC Mallorca has said that it was working with authorities to identify a fan who made monkey gestures after Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni (main image) scored a goal in a La Liga match on Saturday.
The young fan was seen on television appearing to make the monkey gestures as Madrid players celebrated Tchouaméni’s goal early in the second half at Son Moix Stadium on Saturday. The fan then threw a plastic water bottle onto the field and Madrid players quickly showed it to the referee.
La Liga said it was going to formally report the racial abuse to the appropriate authorities.
It said it ‘vehemently condemns any racist acts and will continue working to eradicate this inexcusable behaviour from our sport’.
Mallorca said in a statement that the club had ‘activated the protocol against violence in football’ and that it was ‘collaborating with the Spanish National Police in identifying the person who made racist gestures’.
It went on to say that it ‘does not and will not tolerate any manifestation of racism’ and that it ‘actively participates in all campaigns to eradicate this scourge that goes beyond sport.’
In its statement, it said it didn’t want the ‘isolated case’ to tarnish the image of Mallorca fans.
It wasn’t the first time Real Madrid players complained about being subjected to racist abuse in a match at Mallorca. Vinícius Júnior said he was called a monkey during a league match there last year and the fan has been accused of a hate crime. Both Vinícius and the fan appeared before a judge during the probe. Mallorca banned the fan for three years.
There were several cases of racial abuse against Vinícius since he arrived in Spain six years ago. An incident in a league match last season prompted an outpouring of support for the Brazilian and a series of actions by local officials to boost the fight against racism.
But there was another wave of cases of abuse against him recently, just before Spain hosted the ‘One Skin’ friendly against Brazil at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to highlight the fight against racism. ALSO READ: Vinícius breaks down while talking about racist insults he’s suffered in Spain.
No one has stood trial in Spain in a case of racial abuse in professional football.
Madrid won Saturday’s match 1-0 thanks to Tchouaméni’s second-half goal. It leads the league by eight points over defending champion Barcelona. Mallorca sits in 15th place six points from the relegation zone.
El club condena cualquier acto de racismo. https://t.co/4JbPXm8ULl
— Real Mallorca (@RCD_Mallorca) April 14, 2024
¡Madridistas! Siente el amor, agárralo, ponlo en el viento 🏹
— Tchouameni Aurélien (@atchouameni) April 13, 2024
Todos los ojos puestos en el miércoles 👀 pic.twitter.com/cSfXXmvB5c
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