Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal says he has experienced racism ‘a thousand times’
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Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, 19, has been the target of racial abuse during his rapid rise to prominence.
PHOTO: AFP
- Lamine Yamal, Barcelona forward, has faced racism many times, often from people unaware their actions are racist.
- He was targeted in a 2024 match against Real Madrid and is one of Spain's most frequent victims of online racial abuse.
- Yamal remains calm about insults but highlights La Liga's increased efforts to fight racism in football stadiums.
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BARCELONA – Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal said he has experienced racism “a thousand times”, with many people unaware that their comments or behaviour are racist.
The 19-year-old has been the target of racial abuse during his rapid rise to prominence.
In October 2024, footage appeared to show Yamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati being racially abused during Barcelona’s match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia said in a bulletin published in March that Yamal and Vinicius Jr were the most frequent targets of online racist abuse in Spain in the final quarter of 2025.
Asked by former Argentina international Jorge Valdano in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Movistar whether he had directly experienced racism, Yamal said: “A thousand times.
“People are indirectly racist toward you, but maybe don’t realise it. There are a lot of comments or looks that are racist and they don’t even notice.
“If someone calls me black, it’s not going to bother me at all, ultimately I’m black, I’m not any other colour. Another thing is whether it’s good or bad, whether they’re saying it to offend me.
“But if I’m playing a match and they paid for a ticket to see me, I’m not going to get angry just because they disrespected me.”
La Liga has stepped up efforts to combat racist abuse in stadiums following a number of high-profile incidents in Spanish football in recent years. REUTERS