LALIGA AND ITS CLUBS STEP UP THEIR FIGHT AGAINST RACISM

With just days to go before the start of a new LALIGA season, the league and its clubs remain firm in their commitment to combat hatred and intolerance in all its forms. 

In addition to various pre-existing measures related to racism prevention and anti-violence training, LALIGA will continue to act against any hateful acts occurring inside and outside its stadiums. 

Starting this season, all these initiatives will be grouped under a new platform, LALIGA VS Racism, aimed at the eradication of racism in football. Through its new platform, LALIGA will continue its efforts educate, prevent and take action against violent behaviour and hateful attitudes in all forms.

The new platform (laligavsracismo.com) will bring together LALIGA's initiatives against intolerance and will help to reinforce the organisation's stance in the fight against racism, creating a space to share projects and resources, promoting new initiatives and uniting football to achieve a common goal. 

LALIGA VS Racism is open to stakeholders including clubs, fans, institutions and those who seek to support LALIGA’s zero-tolerance approach to racism.

The new platform also offers direct access to LALIGA’s reporting channel, so that members of the public can provide, in real time, information related to any discriminatory acts occurring inside or outside stadiums. 

The platform LALIGA VS Racism is being launched with the support of fans and clubs. In parallel, key institutions, sporting associations and competitions (including CSD, CEOE, ADESP, local government authorities, Aficiones Unidas, AFE, Laliga F, LNFS and ACB, among others) have also been encouraged to participate. The purpose is to raise awareness in society about the fight against racism.

Said LALIGA President Javier Tebas: “Racism has long been an issue of serious concern for us. LALIGA VS Racism will help us advance our fight against racism and intolerance in football. For years, we have been condemning racist incidents. From this season we now look forward to addressing the problem more globally, with greater involvement from clubs, fans, LALIGA’s partners and, we hope, key Spanish institutions”.

In support of LALIGA VS Racism, the league and its clubs will kick off the new LALIGA season with key messages against racism and a call for respect and inclusion, which will be visible in stadiums and via LALIGA’s domestic and international broadcasts.

These initiatives will be centred on three key elements, empowering fans to assist in the fight against racism:

-    Captain's armbands: Each LALIGA club will receive a personalised captain's armband in club colours bearing the message ‘LALIGA VS Racismo’. These armbands will not only be worn by the captains themselves on the pitch, but also by fans in the stands, with  a total of 126,000 armbands being distributed during the first few matchdays, thus inviting fans to become captains vs. racism.
-    Reporting channel in-stands: Stickers will be displayed in stands with a QR code to LALIGA’s reporting channel (canalcomunicaciones.laliga.com/stopracismo) to raise awareness of the proper way to report any incidents, thus encouraging fans to actively contribute to the fight against racism.
-    Fixed signage across stadiums: Signs will be placed in every LALIGA stadium, tailored to each club, to remind fans that ending racism is everyone's business. These will also include a QR code connecting to LALIGA’s reporting channel (canalcomunicaciones.laliga.com/stopracismo).  

Additionally, a large TIFO banner will be displayed before the match between Athletic Club and Real Madrid on Saturday 12th August at San Mamés, with a message against racism, with the aim of increasing awareness in-stadium and among the millions of LALIGA supporters around the world.

Alongside the creation of LALIGA VS Racismo, further initiatives in the fight against racism have been developed, including LALIGA’s Player's Handbook and Supporters' Handbook, created in coordination with the Association of Peñas (Supporters' Clubs) including information related to combatting against hatred and violence.

LALIGA’s team of match directors, who are responsible for identifying violence and any unlawful acts during LALIGA games, will continue to rely on audio picked up by in-stand microphones to detect possible racist insults and/or violent comments made by fans.

Throughout the 2023/24 season, LALIGA will continue to promote awareness in coordination with strategic partners including EA SPORTS and through training with the organisation Futura Afición and in clubs’ changing rooms via LALIGA’s Integrity and Safety Office, which holds workshops to educate players on the importance of maintaining a non-violent attitude on and off the pitch.

Within its current competences, LALIGA shall continue to report via its Legal, Integrity, and Security departments, all acts of racism and/or violence taking place inside and outside Spain’s professional football stadiums to the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, as well as to the Spanish Federation’s Competition Committee, as it has done for several seasons. 

Similarly, LALIGA shall report and appear as plaintiff in any criminal proceedings related to violent acts that may occur within the sphere of football. 

Furthermore, as announced in May 2023, LALIGA has formally requested an amendment to Law 19/2007 of July 11, 2007 (against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport) and Law 39/2022 of December 30, 2002 (on sport) in order to have formal jurisdiction in these matters.

LALIGA appeals for support from all fans this season and encourages supporters to use its reporting channel (canalcomunicaciones.laliga.com/stopracismo) to provide information whenever they identify racist acts, which helps LALIGA to file the relevant complaints.