Cartagena, Colombia, Oct 6 (EFE).– Spanish second division La Liga Hypermotion match between FC Cartagena and Espanyol at the Cartagonova stadium was interrupted due to an allegation of racist insult against visiting player Omar El Hilali.
The incident on Thursday caused the match to remain halted for several minutes in the first half before Espanyol went on to complete a 0-2 victory.
The young Moroccan right back, 20, of Espanyol, reported the racial insult in the 30th minute of the match when he was about to take a kick.
The player walked to referee Luis Milla, who informed the field officials of the matter.
Anti-racism messages such as “say no to racism” were announced on the public address system of the ground immediately, while similar messages were also displayed on the video scoreboard.
La Liga authorities also took to social network X, formerly Twitter, to relay similar messages.
The match on the ninth day of the championship resumed as the accused fan of racial abuse left the stadium after being identified.
La Liga authorities confirmed that the police had identified the fan and thanked FC Cartagena for its cooperation in the matter.
The club will apply its internal measures while La Liga proceeds to file the relevant complaint, said the Spanish football authorities. EFE
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