May 6- Having made so many friends on the pitch with the quality of their football, Atletico Madrid have suddenly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
As if their first defeat in 15 games in all competitions wasn’t bad enough, the 2-0 defeat at Levante was overshadowed by the latest outbreak of racism in Spanish football just a week after a banana was thrown at Barcelona full-back Dani Alves.
Levante midfielder Pape Diop said he had been the subject of monkey chants from the Atletico fans and reacted by dancing in front of the disconsolate travelling supporters at the final whistle.
“I was going to take a corner and some of the Atletico fans started making monkey chants,” said the Senegalese. “To defuse the situation I danced. I have nothing against the Atletico fans because it was only a section who chanted. It’s a lack of respect you get at all stadiums. It’s a provocation. I don’t know if you can call it racism but these monkey chants have to stop.”
The incident comes a week after the much publicised banana incident during Barcelona’s fixture at Villareal which prompted an international anti-racism campaign across social media.
Before the Levante game, Atletico, on their way to a euphoric domestic title barring any more slip-ups, had enjoyed a momentous week as they progressed to the Champions League final for only the second time in their history with a 3-1 win over Chelsea.