It happened almost half an hour into the game and in the first half. Omar El Hilali, the young Moroccan full-back, 20 years old, was ready to take a throw-in when he heard a racist insult. And then the referee stopped the match as ordered by the protocol established by LaLiga. It was made known through a message over the public address system that this type of attitude was not tolerated and also on the stadium scoreboards.
“These are actions that have no place in our football. The protocol has been activated and action has been taken very well,” acknowledged the Espanyol player, indicating that the referee has been at his side at all times after receiving the racist insults. “He told me that if the protocol was started and I told him: ‘For me, perfect’ I want to thank Cartagena, which has acted very well. I hope all the clubs act the same”, added Omar El Hilali
“Yes, it was a racist insult,” revealed Luis García, the Espanyol coach, happy for the victory over Cartagena (0-2, goals from Pere Milla and Braithwaite), but worried about that behavior that a fan of the Murcia team had. “It has been a racist issue, it is something that must be completely eradicated from football and society because we are all equal,” added the blue and white coach.
Related news
“Cartagena has acted spectacularly,” said Luis García, confirming that the Murcia club has expelled the fan who insulted the Espanyol right-back from the stadium. “The referee has also been spectacular because, as protocol dictates, if those insults had been repeated, the match would have been suspended.”
“We are with you, Omar”
After a few minutes in which the game was stopped, the referee ordered the match to be resumed. Cartagena, on its social networks, firmly proclaimed a message against racism (“join up and say no”), which Espanyol also later joined. “A few do not represent the Cartagena fans or that of any team. It is a joint fight between all the clubs and LaLiga. We are with you, Omar.”
The arbitration report includes the “racist insults to Omar El Hilali”
Extract from the arbitration report written by the referee Luis Mario Milla Alvéndiz after Espanyol’s victory in Cartagena (0-2):
“In the 28th minute, the visiting player number 31, Don OMAR EL HILALI KHAYAT, told me that he was receiving racist insults from a person in the public. Immediately, the protocol for racism was activated, not resuming the game until public notice over the stadium’s public address system. The match continues without further incident. Once the match is over, and while I am in the locker room tunnel, the security coordinator tells me that they have identified the author of said racist insults, evicting him from the stadium.” .
2023-10-05 22:18:09
#Omar #Hilali #suffers #racist #insults #Cartagena #Murcia #club #expels #fan
