MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Yesterday, the 26th matchday of La Liga between Elche and Espanyol was interrupted for three minutes in the 78th minute with the activation of the anti-racism protocol after Omar El Hilali, the visiting team’s Moroccan full-back, approached the referee, Galech Apezteguia, to report rival Rafa Mir, who allegedly told him, “You came on a boat.” The referee then stopped play and informed the members of the two benches of what had happened, later recording everything in the final report. La Liga is already collecting all audiovisual material that may be useful in clarifying the situation, while the Federation’s disciplinary body (RFEF) will handle the case on Wednesday.
After the match, as reported by the program “El Chiringuito,” Mir reportedly told his entourage that he hadn’t uttered any racist insult, but had said “I’ll smash your head in” in reaction to El Hilali’s provocations. This remains an incident that adds to the recent Prestianni-Vinicius affair, which characterized the double-header between Benfica and Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs. The Portuguese club player, accused of saying “you’re a monkey” to the Los Blancos winger, was suspended for one match, thus missing the return leg at the Bernabeu.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
