This weekend, La Liga will be entitled to one of its big meetings of the season with the Madrid derby this Sunday at 9 p.m. While Real will be without Kylian Mbappé, all eyes will be on Vinícius Júnior. The future Ballon d’Or 2024 will also be expected at the turn due to his track record with the Civitas Metropolitano public. Often targeted by Colchoneros supporters, the Brazilian winger complained about a public he considers racist. For this Sunday’s clash, Atlético supporters even launched an appeal for as many people as possible to come to the stadium with a mask. A hashtag #MetropolitanoConMascarilla even appeared on social networks. Faced with this threat, La Liga stepped up to the plate this Saturday.
In a scathing press release, the championship announced that it was taking measures against people who took part in the movement this Sunday: “LALIGA informs that it will proceed with the formal denunciation and request the immediate arrest of the instigators of a hate campaign aimed at promoting racist and vexatious acts during the next match between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid, scheduled for 29 September 2024 at 9:00 p.m. (…) LALIGA will under no circumstances tolerate this type of behavior. These actions are not only damaging to the image of the sport and our country, but also represent a direct threat to the integrity and well-being of all fans. Likewise, on the side of LALIGA, we would like to highlight the civic and exemplary behavior of the vast majority of supporters, who have demonstrated a firm commitment to the values of sport. Many of them have actively collaborated in identifying the perpetrators of hate crimes in the past, as was the case during the unfortunate incidents involving racist shouting. Thanks to their cooperation, we have been able to take the necessary measures to eradicate such behavior and ensure a respectful environment in football.»
