“Uh, uh” was the racist chant he heard Nico Williams in the 36th minute of the match between Atlético de Madrid and Athletic de Bilbao when he was about to take a corner. An onomatopoeia, that of the monkey, which was also perceived by the referee’s number one assistant referee of the match, Juan Martínez Munuera.
Diego Barbero Seville It was the linesman who, along with Nico, noticed the chants and reported it to the main referee who stopped the match, communicated it to the Field Delegate of Atlético de Madrid and activated the anti-racism protocol. While the Bilbao players were going to wrap up Nicothe Atlético de Madrid footballers asked the crowd not to insult the player again.
As the first step of the protocol, which FIFA approved in 2017, the obligation to cease all types of insults and expressions of a xenophobic or offensive nature was announced over the public address system. They did not occur again and the match resumed normally.
However, the second phase of the protocol would have been a return to the locker room and a second announcement to the stadium. Finally, if maintained, the referee would definitively suspend the clash after consulting with the teams.
The National Police has informed EL MUNDO that the chants come from a single fan who has not yet been identified because they have been very brief. During the second part of the meeting, several agents reviewed the videos and recordings of that location to no avail. However, they also explain that the linesman told them that he had heard them clearly.
According to the police and those involved, the insults came from a place between the stairs that go down to the corner and the south end of the stadium, the stand where the Atlético Front is located. However, the Police have assured that the xenophobic demonstrations have not been carried out by the radical group of the red-and-white club.
Possible sanction
As they are included in the minutes of the match, the red and white club could face a sanction from the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation that will meet next week.
One of the most likely scenarios is that, although it has not been possible to identify the fan but the place in the stands from which the insults were thrown, the partial closure of that sector and a financial penalty could be ordered.
The most recent precedents have affected Getafe and Valencia. In the case of the Madrid club, the Committee initially decreed the partial closure of the Getafe stands for three games from which the player was insulted. Acuna already Quique Sánchez Flores in the match against Sevilla. However, the club managed to get the body to admit its appeal and the sanction was suspended.
The Ché club also received an initial sanction of partial closure of the stands for five games due to the racist chants they received. Vinicius last season at Mestalla. Finally, an appeal reduced the sanction from five to three games. In both cases, the two clubs managed to identify and expel those responsible.