2 hrs ago
Lamine Yamal Reveals Thousands of Racist Experiences in Football
Lamine Yamal is a football player for Barcelona.
He says people have treated him badly because of his race many times.
He estimates this has happened about a thousand times.
Some abuse is obvious, while other people make racist comments or gestures without realizing it.
He has faced abuse both online and in football stadiums.
A report said Yamal and Vinicius Jr were among the most targeted players online in Spain late in 2025.
Yamal says insults do not make him lose focus during a game.
He wants to keep concentrating on playing football.
Lamine Yamal said he has experienced racism “a thousand times” during his football career.
He described both overt abuse and racist comments, looks, and microaggressions that people may not recognize as racist.
Footage from a Barcelona match at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu in October 2024 appeared to show Yamal, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati being racially abused.
A Spanish Observatory bulletin said Yamal and Vinicius Jr were the most frequent targets of online racist abuse in Spain during the final quarter of 2025.
Yamal said he refuses to let stadium taunts or individual disrespect disrupt his concentration during matches.
- Who
- Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, with Vinicius Jr also identified as a frequent target of online racist abuse.
- What
- Yamal described experiencing racism about a thousand times, including overt abuse and less obvious racist behavior.
- Where
- The abuse occurred online and in football stadiums, including the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and elsewhere in Spain.
- When
- Yamal discussed the issue in an interview; the article also cites stadium abuse in October 2024 and online-abuse data from the final quarter of 2025.
- Why
- Yamal said some people make racist comments, looks, or other remarks without recognizing their racist nature.
Key facts
- Player
- Lamine Yamal, Barcelona forward
- Reported experiences
- Yamal said he has encountered racism “a thousand times”.
- Types of abuse
- The account included overt racism, online abuse, stadium taunts, comments, and looks described as racist.
- October 2024 incident
- Footage appeared to show Yamal, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati being racially abused during a Barcelona match at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu.
- Online-abuse data
- The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia said Yamal and Vinicius Jr were the most frequent targets in Spain during the final quarter of 2025.
- Yamal’s response
- He said ticket-paying spectators’ disrespect would not make him angry or disrupt his focus while playing.
- League response
- LaLiga has increased efforts to combat racist abuse in stadiums.
Quotes
Lamine Yamal
Barcelona forward discussing how often he has directly experienced racism.
“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.”
rediff.com
“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.”
rediff.com
Sources
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