A Spanish League match was suspended due to racism against an Arab player

The match between Elche and its guest Espanyol, which ended in a 2-2 draw on Sunday, was stopped for a short period after the visiting Moroccan team’s defender, Omar Hilali, complained that he was subjected to racist abuse by striker Rafa Mir during the 26th round of the Spanish Football League.
Referee Ewusu Galic Apistoya was forced to activate the anti-racism protocol in the 80th minute, as he crossed his arms after speaking to the Espanyol defender.
According to the referee’s report, the Elche striker, who is also facing a rape charge, told the Moroccan defender, “I came here on a small boat.”
Mir faces a harsh punishment, although the referee confirmed that “none of the members of the arbitration body” heard these insults.
The match resumed after a three-minute pause, during which the 22-year-old Moroccan defender, born in Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona, ​​appeared deeply affected and on the verge of tears.
Mir snatched a fatal draw for his team with a penalty kick in the 90th minute, for which Mark Aguado (42nd) also scored, in response to goals from Kiki Garcia (7th) and Carlos Romero (57th) for the visiting team.
Without directly referring to this match, the Spanish League condemned, via the “X” platform, “any racist act” on or off the field.
Despite the efforts of the authorities and numerous judicial convictions, Spanish football is still struggling to eradicate racism in the stands and on the field.
Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid striker, who has become a symbol of the struggle against discrimination in the world of football, is the most frequent target of such incidents since he joined the capital club in 2018, while penalties have only been imposed in a small number of these incidents.
Real Betis thought it was heading for its fourth win in its last five matches, but it squandered a two-goal lead against its guest, Sevilla, to emerge with a disappointing 2-2 draw.
Betis took the lead with goals from Brazilian Anthony (16) and Alvaro Fidalgo (37), and Sevilla reduced the gap initially through Chilean Alexis Sanchez (62), before equalizing thanks to substitute Issac Romero (85).
Betis raised its score to 43 points in fifth place, three points ahead of Celta Vigo, sixth, who won over host Girona 2-1, while Sevilla remains in eleventh place with 30 points.
Valencia returned to winning ways by defeating its guest, Osasuna, who achieved a major surprise by defeating Real Madrid 2-1 in the last stage, with a goal by Belgian Larji Ramazani from a penalty kick (67).
The “Bats” team, which lost to Villarreal 1-2 in the last stage, moved further away from the relegation zones after raising its score to 29 points in thirteenth place, 4 points behind Osasuna, which suffered its first loss in its last seven matches in the league.