Sevilla calls out racist abuse aimed at their player, coach
Sevilla called out the racist abuse aimed at defender Marcos Acuña and coach Quique Sanchez Flores during their 1-0 LaLiga win at Getafe.
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Sevilla condemns racist abuse
Referee Javier Iglesias Villanueva said in his match report that he heard “Acuña, monkey” from the crowd.
Villanueva stopped the match in the 68th minute following LaLiga’s anti-racism protocol.
However, it wasn’t just Acuña who experienced racial abuse during the fixture.
Sánchez Flores said in his post-match news conference that he was called “gypsy” by a group of fans.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a gypsy is a member of a race of people originally from northern India who typically used to travel from place to place.
“I’m proud, with every inch of my body, to be a gypsy,” Sánchez Flores said. “But it’s one thing being a gypsy or having gypsy heritage, and another thing for it to be used as a racist insult. That seems abnormal to me.
“Some of the fans think they can say whatever they want here. That’s what happens in every stadium around the world. People think they can say whatever they want. But we’re workers. We’re here to work, in peace, in a space where we should be respected.”
“In this day and age, where so many advances are being made, it seems abnormal to me. And I should also say that there were some Getafe fans who were against what the others were saying.”
Getafe also condemned the racial discrimination coming from the fans.
“If the referee and Acuña heard it, it must have happened,” Getafe coach José Bordalás said. “It’s normal that the protocol was activated. We’re against any insult, any racist chant, wherever it is, in any venue.”
Racist abuse incidents continue in LaLiga
Racism in LaLiga has been a hot topic for months, particularly regarding the treatment of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.
The Brazil international broke down in tears ahead of the team’s international friendly with Spain when asked about his recent experiences with racial discrimination.
Vinícius expressed his support for Acuña and Sánchez Flores in a post on his X account.
“We had three despicable cases of racism in Spain this Saturday,” he wrote. “The racists should be expelled and games should not continue with them in the stands. We will only achieve victory when these racists are taken out of the stadiums and straight into prison, the place where they belong.”
