In a season where incidents of alleged racism have become increasingly common across European football, the La Liga clash between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol has produced more worrying scenes of crowd trouble.
Following the 1-1 draw, Bilbao forward Inaki Williams claims he was racially abused by supporters as he made his way off the pitch after being substituted. The 25-year-old Spain international referred to the incident during a post-match interview.
And here is the footage of Williams receiving racist abuse after being substituted off at Espanyol. https://t.co/fmRp8QKk9U
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) January 25, 2020
I'm sad because of the draw but above all because I suffered racist insults, no black player or any player wants to hear that. It's completely out of order. People should go to matches to enjoy themselves and to support their team.
It has been reported that Bilbao captain Iker Muniain informed the referee about the incident, however there was no mention of it in the referee's match report.
There were more troubling scenes in a worrying day for La Liga, as both the Bilbao-Espanyol and Valencia-Barcelona games were marred by pre-match crowd violence outside the stadium. La Liga's president Javier Tebas released a statement condemning all three incidents.
Es muy triste que a día de hoy sigamos viviendo escenas de racismo en el fútbol. Tenemos que acabar con ello entre TODOS. Gracias por vuestro apoyo. #NOalRacismo #SayNoToRacism ✋🏿✋🏼 pic.twitter.com/3UauFEXjH4
— IÑAKI WILLIAMS (@Williaaams45) January 25, 2020
