Spain’s ongoing problems with racial abuse by soccer spectators has led to the La Liga match between Getafe and Sevilla being suspended.
Fans of Madrid-based Getafe targeted Sevilla’s Marcos Acuna with racial insults. Sevilla coach Quique Sanchez Flores said he also was abused racially by supporters of his former club.
Referee Javier Iglesias halted the game in the 68th minute when Argentina international Acuna was insulted by fans, including calling him a “monkey,” according to the match report.
The game was restarted after the spectators were informed by loudspeaker to refrain from using racist or xenophobic language. Iglesias did not record any more incidents.
But Sanchez Flores confirmed after Saturday’s match, won 1-0 by Sevilla, that his Roma heritage was insulted. Sanchez Flores has coached Getafe on three occasions.
“I am proud of every pore in my body that breathes Roma, but one thing is to be Roma and another is to be insulted for it,” Sanchez Flores said. “There are some fans who think they can say anything they want at a stadium. It is happening in every stadium.
“We are workers who come here to work in peace and be respected. It is an aberration that in these times when we are advancing in so many ways that (these individuals) grab us and pull us backwards.”
Elsewhere in La LIga Osasuna won 3-0 at Almeria.
Source Agencies
