Three arrested in Spain for racist abuse at La Liga Clásico
The two adults and a minor are accused of having "made xenophobic statements that harmed the dignity and moral integrity of the two footballers" during the match which Barcelona won 4-0 in Madrid, police said.
The trio were identified using mobile phone and television footage.
Videos emerged on social media after the game of racial abuse aimed at the Barcelona players, with 17-year-old Spain star Yamal targeted during a goal celebration after becoming the youngest Clasico scorer.
Spanish football is struggling to combat racism in stadiums across the country.
Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior has become a figurehead in the fight against racism and has been targeted on numerous occasions since arriving in Spain in 2018.
The Brazilian winger earned worldwide support in May 2023 when he squared off with Valencia supporters after suffering abuse at their Mestalla stadium.
In June three Valencia supporters were sentenced to eight months in prison as a result.
In January 2023, an effigy in a Vinicius shirt was found hanging from a bridge near the club's training ground alongside a banner saying: "Madrid hates Real."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Spain
2 days ago
- Local Spain
Leire Díez: The latest chapter in the corruption saga affecting Spain's PM
Politics A former member of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist party on Wednesday denied waging a smear campaign against a police unit investigating corruption accusations targeting members of his inner circle. Leire Díez has come under scrutiny after leaked audio records surfaced of her talks with a police commander and a businessman implicated in corruption probes. In the recordings, she appears to offer judicial leniency to both in exchange for potentially compromising information on top members of the Guardia Civil police force's anti-corruption unit. This unit is investigating graft allegations levelled against Sánchez's wife, brother and his former right-hand man, prompting allegations that she may have been trying to interfere with these probes. But Díez attempted to quash the growing scandal, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sánchez. "I am not a woman in the shadows. I have been doing investigative work for years," she said a day after she resigned from the party. She also lashed out at what she called "calculated and fabricated leaks". Tensions flared at the press conference when businessman Victor de Aldama, a central figure in one of the corruption cases troubling Sánchez's administration, unexpectedly attempted to confront Díez. "She lies and mocks everyone," he shouted. The main opposition Popular Party (PP) has called for a protest in Madrid on Sunday against the government over the affair, accusing it of "mafia practices". The PP, as well as far-left party Podemos and Catalan pro-independence party ERC, have demanded that the prime minister appear in parliament to give explanations over the case. Sánchez has dismissed the probes affecting members of his inner circle as part of a "smear campaign" carried out by the right wing to undermine his government.
Local Spain
28-05-2025
- Local Spain
Costa del Crime: Why Spain is home to many foreign criminals and fugitives
From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens. That gamble rarely pays off: police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim. "We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando González, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run. "Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added. Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023. The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives. In October 2024, police in Barcelona arrested Serbian national Nikola Vusovic, a suspected leader of a major crime gang from Montenegro, the Kavac clan. At the start of this year, officers arrested the leader of a brutal Peruvian mafia group, Omar Luis Castaneda, near the Mediterranean city of Alicante over his suspected involvement in 16 murders in the Latin American country. And in February, police in southern Spain arrested one of the gunmen who in 2024 ambushed a prison van in France to free a drug lord, Mohamed Amra, killing two prison guards. The fugitive was living in a luxury villa at the time. "We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, González said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans. 'Blend in' Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France." Spain is home to a large number of foreigners and is the world's second-most-visited country, having welcomed a record 94 million foreign tourists last year, which makes it easier for fugitives to go unnoticed. "It's a place with a high quality of life. It's easy to rent quiet villas with swimming pools. People blend in," the French investigator said. Criminals enjoy the glitz and glamour of cities like Marbella, finding it easy to blend in. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP) Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals. González said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain. He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish. 'Cat-and-mouse game' Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where foreign communities are concentrated. Málaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British residents and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista. Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates. "It's a cat-and-mouse game. But we usually find them. It just takes patience," said González. Police credit wiretaps, monitoring social media and, above all, close international cooperation for their success. Through ENFAST, a network of police officers from across Europe who work together to locate internationally wanted criminals, Spain has become a leader in cross-border arrests. "Spain is extremely active in extraditions. Sooner or later, fugitives get caught," said Bautista. The walls of González's elite police unit are lined with mugshots and mementos from years of operations. "There may be fugitives living quietly among us. But that doesn't mean they will escape forever," he said.
Local Spain
21-05-2025
- Local Spain
Pro-Russia ex-Ukraine MP shot dead in Spain
War in Ukraine A US-sanctioned ex-Ukrainian MP and senior aide to the country's former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was shot dead near Madrid on Wednesday, a Spanish police source told AFP. Police rushed to the upmarket town of Pozuelo de Alarcón where "several people" shot a male "in the back and head" as he "prepared to climb into a vehicle", the source said, confirming the victim was Andriy Portnov. The shooters "later fled from the scene towards a wooded area", the source added, saying the incident had occurred outside an American private school. Portnov was a lawmaker in the 2000s and became deputy head of the presidential administration under Yanukovych, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who fled to Russia in 2014 after cracking down on pro-EU protests in Ukraine. Portnov quit Ukraine after Yanukovych's fall, living in Russia and Austria before returning to his home country after the election of current President Volodymyr Zelensky. The United States imposed sanctions on him in 2021 for alleged corruption, saying he had used his influence in the judiciary and law enforcement to buy access in Ukrainian courts and undermine reform efforts. According to media reports, he used his connections within the spheres of power to escape Ukraine again in 2022, despite a ban on men liable for military service leaving the country during the Russian invasion.
