December 9 – One of the world’s great footballing rivalries has turned ugly after Real Madrid banned 17 of their own supporters for abusive chants about Lionel Messi and Barcelona.
Real acted fast after the fans were heard chanting abuse at Barca, Messi and Catalonia during last weekend’s win over Celta Vigo.
The referee did not mention the offensive chants in his match report on Madrid’s 3-0 victory but Spanish league boss Javier Tebas heard it and later told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser: “Our new commitment is that if the referee does not hear it we will draw attention to it. There were insults and unacceptable chants at the Bernabeu, so I gave the order to report them.
“I made a mistake in not seeing this as a problem in football and I won’t make it again. We have fattened up a monster which must be banished. We have taken this decision and we will continue down the same path.”
Scrutiny in Spanish football has been stepped up following the tragic death of a Deportivo fan after violent clashes between rival fans before a game versus Atletico Madrid last month.
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