In a dramatic Copa del Rey semifinal first leg, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played to a thrilling 4-4 draw, while Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad. The match, held at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian, was overshadowed by incidents of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid's Brazilian international, Vinicius Junior. The tension escalated when Vinicius reported offensive chants aimed at his teammate Raul Asencio to the referee, causing the match to halt just before halftime.
During the encounter, a video surfaced on social media showing a Real Sociedad fan making monkey gestures towards Vinicius Junior, further exacerbating the situation. The chants of "Asencio die," aimed at Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio, added to the turmoil. Asencio is currently under investigation by a Spanish court for allegedly sharing a sexually explicit video of a minor. The unsettling atmosphere prompted Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to substitute Vinicius off at halftime.
“Vinicius spoke to the referee, the referee stopped the game, he applied the protocol, that was what had to happen,” Carlo Ancelotti stated.
Ancelotti explained his decision to substitute Vinicius, citing the player's emotional state and the yellow card he received during the match.
“I took him [Vinicius Jr] off because of two things, he was affected, and he had a yellow card, so I preferred to take him off,” Ancelotti added.
“I think nobody likes that a stadium chants for you to die. I think he was affected in that sense. He wasn’t exactly happy, I preferred to take him off in case how he was feeling could affect the game,” he elaborated further.
Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal also condemned the racist abuse suffered by Vinicius Junior.
“The insults should be condemned, we don’t like them … there are other ways to condemn the actions that others may have committed. We don’t think this is the right way,” Oyarzabal said.
Reflecting the stance against intolerance, Real Sociedad made a statement on the big screen inside the stadium:
“No to racist, xenophobic and intolerant chants. Encourage and support the team while respecting the rival.”
Despite these distractions, Real Madrid managed to clinch victory thanks to Endrick's sole goal in the first half. Ancelotti's line-up saw significant changes with Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, and Eduardo Camavinga making starts. The team played without French superstar Kylian Mbappe due to a dental issue, along with Fede Valverde and Thibaut Courtois.
Recent incidents have highlighted ongoing issues related to racism within Spanish football. In October, authorities arrested four individuals in Spain suspected of conducting an online hate campaign against Vinicius Junior. Moreover, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison last June for hate crimes against him.
The first leg's events set a tense backdrop for the second leg scheduled for April 1 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Both teams will aim to focus on their performance while addressing and combating racism within football.
