After the recent case involving Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni, another La Liga footballer has now reported racist abuse from a fellow professional. The alleged incident occurred at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero during Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Elche and Espanyol.
During the second half, the game was halted after Omar El Hilali informed referee Iosu Galech Apezteguía that he had been targeted with an anti-immigrant remark by Rafa Mir. According to Diario AS, the referee included the incident in his official post-match report.
“In the 78th minute, RCD Espanyol’s number 23 player, Omar el Hilali, told me that Elche’s number 10, Rafael Mir Vicente, addressed him with the words: ‘you came in a boat’, which was not heard by any member of the officiating team. Therefore, I activated the anti-racism protocol and the match was stopped for three minutes.”
La Liga will now launch a formal investigation after receiving the referee’s report and match documentation. The league will review statements from players and coaches, including those directly involved and any witnesses. Video footage and audio recordings from the match will also be examined to assess the exchange between El Hilali and Mir.
Manolo Gonzalez responds – “It is a racist insult”
Following the match, Espanyol head coach Manolo Gonzalez publicly supported El Hilali when speaking to reporters.
“I understand that it is a racist insult. Omar has never stopped a match before, so I believe what he says. I don’t know exactly what happened, but from what I’ve been told it was Rafa Mir who said something to him. The referee explained to us that he applied the anti-racism protocol.
“Just as racism must be removed from football and from society, the same must happen with all insults. Racism is rightly a priority, but there are many kinds of abuse in football that also need to disappear. These situations create very unpleasant moments.”
