Atletico Madrid handed two-match partial stand closure following racist abuse incident

Atletico Madrid Faces Partial Stadium Closure After Racist Abuse Incident

Atletico Madrid has been handed a partial stadium closure for two matches by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following a racist abuse incident involving Athletic Bilbao player Nico Williams during Saturday’s La Liga game.

The referee stopped the match in the 36th minute after hearing racist abuse directed at the 21-year-old Spain international, who was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents. Atletico has also been fined 20,000 euros ($21,360) and has 10 days to appeal the decision.

The RFEF has mandated that the closed area in the stands must display a visible message condemning violent, racist, xenophobic, and intolerant acts in football and supporting fair play.

Williams, who scored a goal shortly after the incident, expressed his frustration, stating, “There are stupid people everywhere but nothing happens, we have to keep fighting so this changes little by little.”

This incident adds to a series of episodes that have sparked a debate around racism in Spanish football. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr has reported 16 incidents of racist abuse to Spanish prosecutors in the last two seasons.

The issue of racism in football has also led to consequences for media outlets, with Spanish TV station Movistar Plus+ firing an analyst earlier this month after a comment interpreted as racist about Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

Getafe was also ordered to partially close its central stand for three matches in April following racist and xenophobic abuse suffered by Sevilla manager Quique Sanchez Flores and player Marcos Acuna. Additionally, a Spanish third-division match was suspended after a player confronted a fan who was racially abusing him.