The xenophobic insults against Yamine Lamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati are the symptom of a disease that comes from before and which is also inoculated from the Congress of Deputies
Last Saturday, three Barça players had to endure insults such as “fucking black”, “fucking Moor”, “selling handkerchiefs at the traffic light”. It’s disgust cooked with rage that comes out of the mouth of someone who, not knowing how to digest the frustration of a football result (I imagine what it will be like in more important areas), finds the violence of hatred like a torrent through to face their own miseries, inabilities and xenophobia. These are three football stars, it is easy to imagine the effect on three migrants who had nothing, neither papers nor language to cling to.
The debate on violence in football is complex and essential because it is the sport which has, perhaps with a certain audiovisual industry, an enormous educational power and transmission of values. If there is a sexual assault and no one raises an eyebrow, if you don’t go to a gala to support your colleagues because the prize is not for me, if we can go play in hell even in exchange for ‘money, the transmission squeals. If equality is demanded at the expense of image, if effort is honored and not arrogance, if we protest against countries without rights for women or people, transmission prospers.
When insults are heard and there is hateful behavior from spectators, what clubs or La Liga can do is not let this pass, have referees more trained to transfer what they heard in the minutes, asking for punishment for the individual. La Liga, Real Madrid and Barça did not let it pass last Saturday, which is essential for a society which already problematizes migration and migrants, according to the CEI, and which is increasingly racist and fearful towards anyone. is different from me, as long as it is of no use to me. Every racist insult must be followed by condemnation, as has already happened, for example, with three Valencia supporters who insulted Vinicius.
In 2023, hate crimes increased by 21.35% compared to 2022, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. Those referring to racism and xenophobia, with 856 cases, were the most numerous and represented 40% of the total complaints (apart from this photo, there is everything that is not even reported). What was seen and heard against Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati is the symptom and not the disease. These insults can be heard in the stands of a stadium, but also in a traffic jam, or in a queue at the supermarket. The disease comes from before and is also inoculated from the Congress of Deputies, with special mention to Vox and, due to incomprehensible mimicry, to the “transformative” PP of Feijóo.
To Broncano’s question, we should answer that we are more racist than we think. Regarding sexism, the Errejón case has clearly shown that this also applies to those who, through speeches and theories, take to the streets in disguise.
