It was the 36th minute of the game when Nico Williams He was preparing to take a corner very close to the south end, the stand where the Atlético Front is located. After placing the ball, the youngest Williams stands and looks at the audience. “When I went to take the corner, I heard monkey sounds, few of them. There are stupid people everywhere. Nothing happens. We have to keep working, but this is changing little by little. There is an internal and external fight against it” , detailed the Athletic winger after the defeat (3-1).
Then, colleagues and rivals approached because they sensed what had happened. While several Bilbans wrapped up Nico, Griezmann y Gimnez They asked the crowd to stop with these insults. A request to the public not to make racist and offensive shouts sounded over the public address system and, after a two-minute break, the clash resumed.
As karma is a force as inexplicable as it is curious, as fate would have it, just five minutes after that unfortunate episode, Nico scored 1-1. As he did so, the Basque forward pointed to his arm with his fingers. The message: “It is not normal to be insulted because of the color of your skin,” he revealed.
His brother, Iaki, also spoke Jack WilliamsNico’s teammate and brother, gave his opinion on the situation and was very clear with his message: “I knew that if my brother does that, something has happened. They have given him the onomatopoeia of the monkey. That has nothing to do with football.” nor in life in general. The referee has been very good at intervening. Then, people whistled at my brother every time he had the ball, I don’t understand it. You have to whistle at the one who insults, not at the victim.
Without stepping on the shield
The goal came shortly before the end of the first half. When it happens, the Bilbano captain, Iker Muniain, approached to talk to him about what happened and to express his support. The footballer, elegant, left the field of play without stepping on the Atlético shield.
Finally, Athletic could not win the match, but the match was marked by this incident sadly repeated in several First Division fields this and other seasons. “It is a social problem, not the stadium. If we improve in life, we will improve in the scenarios where there are people and I hope they improve, but it depends on everyone,” he expressed. Diego Simeone after the duel.
Ernesto Valverdefor his part, after passing through the locker room, reported that Nico Williams He was “calm” after what happened. “We are all sorry. We don’t like to see it anywhere. Don’t let it happen to any player,” said the Bilbao coach.
Furthermore, the Chingurri He described it as an “education” problem and said that today it had happened to Nico, but it is a situation that they experience in many stages. “Sometimes it is a way to provoke and find a loudspeaker in football for other things,” he warned. Valverde.
Koke’s message
The captain of Atlético, Koke Resurrecin, wanted to highlight the episode of racism before answering any questions at a press conference. “If what happened with Nico has happened, I would send him all my support and that of the club. There is no room in football or in society for this and I hope it doesn’t happen again, neither in this stadium nor in any other,” he said. .
For the captain, these types of situations must end now. The red and white man was not only referring to racism, but also to the insults that players receive on the field and highlighted those suffered by his teammate. lvaro Morata in some fields. “It cannot be allowed. Not only with racism, but with many things. They tell Álvaro everything and there is a moment that ends here. You cannot wish for death,” said the midfielder. “We have been going through a lot of things for many years and we have to cut it now,” he concluded.