Espanyol's match against Cartagena halted after Moroccan youngster suffers racist abuse

Unfortunately, incidents of racist abuse have not been uncommon in Spanish football in recent times, and there was another instance that took place on Thursday evening in the Segunda match between Cartagena and Espanyol.

In the first half of the encounter at the Estadio Cartagonova, Pericos defender Omar El Hilali – who has been in excellent form so far this season – reported to the referee that he had been racially abused by a section of home supporters.

There were shocking scenes at the Estadio Cartagonova this evening, as Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali was subjected to racist abuse from a section of Cartagena supporters.pic.twitter.com/4uPrBJv7El

— Football España (@footballespana_) October 5, 2023

This led to the match being stopped for two minutes, allowing the referee time to notify the match director, who implemented the standard protocol. El Hilali, who is a Moroccan youth international, decided to continue playing.

It is utterly depressing that there has been another instance of racial abuse in Spanish football. It is not yet known whether the individual(s) responded have been identified, but if not, they are likely to be in the coming days.