Unfortunately, incidents of racist abuse have not been uncommon in Spanish football in recent times, and there was another instance that took place on Thursday evening in the Segunda match between Cartagena and Espanyol.
In the first half of the encounter at the Estadio Cartagonova, Pericos defender Omar El Hilali – who has been in excellent form so far this season – reported to the referee that he had been racially abused by a section of home supporters.
There were shocking scenes at the Estadio Cartagonova this evening, as Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali was subjected to racist abuse from a section of Cartagena supporters.pic.twitter.com/4uPrBJv7El
— Football España (@footballespana_) October 5, 2023
This led to the match being stopped for two minutes, allowing the referee time to notify the match director, who implemented the standard protocol. El Hilali, who is a Moroccan youth international, decided to continue playing.
While it is another depressing instance of racial abuse in Spanish football, the authorities have moved quickly to address the matter. Cartagena emitted a statement hours later noting that, in tandem with La Liga, they had identified the culprit and have removed their season ticket.
