MADRID: La Liga has condemned hate speech after Atl­e­tico Madrid fans were filmed racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr outside their Metropolitano Sta­dium ahead of Sunday’s match.

Hundreds of Atletico supporters could be heard singing, “Vinicius, you are a monkey, you are monkey” in a video published on social media by radio station Cope in the build-up to the Madrid derby, which Real won 2-1.

“Hate speech has no place in La Liga and we always work with the clubs and the authorities to identify and bring to justice any such case,” La Liga said in a statement. “We denounce all incidents inside and outside stadiums and work with clubs to keep our football friendly and enjoyable.”

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2022