La Liga is not giving up. On August 24, Real Madrid traveled to Oviedo for a La Liga match. During this meeting, an individual, identified as a fan of the Asturian club, was arrested for imitating a monkey in the 37th minute of play, towards French striker Kylian Mbappé, who had just celebrated the opening score.
The images, widely distributed on social networks and on television, highlighted “racist screams and sounds », confirmed by the authorities’ analyses. The man, arrested on September 10, risked up to three years in prison for “hate crime”as well as a heavy fine of 60,000 to 650,000 euros, accompanied by a stadium ban.
This Monday, the supporter admitted the facts before the Oviedo courts, according to the radio COPE. He apologized to Mbappé and expressed sincere regret for his behavior. La Liga, which immediately filed a complaint, is continuing its legal action to enforce zero tolerance towards racism.
Yamal, first target in Spain
Last September, another supporter was sentenced to a year in prison and a three-year stadium ban for uttering racist insults against Iñaki Williams, an Athletic Bilbao player. These cases illustrate La Liga’s desire to strengthen the fight against racism in Spanish football and to firmly sanction its perpetrators.
This new episode recalls the cases targeting Vinícius Jr., Mbappé’s teammate at Real Madrid, or Lamine Yamal. According to the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe), 60% of racist attacks recorded on social networks against footballers in Spain target the Barça striker, ahead of Vinícius Jr., targeted in 30% of cases.
