Atletico Madrid condemn racist chants outside at Madrid Derby

Just hours before the kick off of the most recent iteration of the Madrid Derby, one of La Liga’s fiercest rivalries, a video began doing the rounds on social media of a large group of Atlético Madrid supporters chanting a slew of racist remarks, mostly aimed at Real Madrid winger Vinícius Jr.

“You are a monkey, Vinicius, you are a monkey,” was the chant heard outside of the ground in the buildup to the crucial rivalry game.

Those despicable chants came on the back of the head of the Spanish soccer agents’ association, Pedro Bravo, stating on Spanish television that the Real Madrid forward needed to stop “acting the monkey”, in reference to the Brazilian’s exotic dancing to celebrate scoring a goal.

Now those who follow Spanish soccer will know that it is, unfortunately, nothing new when it comes to a subsection of the Atletico Madrid faithful – particularly one group of ultras, ‘Frente Atletico’, to hear racist chanting, or to see flags flown with right-wing symbols front and center.

Just last season, reports from The Manchester Evening News revealed that traveling Atletico Madrid fans were spotted doing Nazi salutes in the away section on the night of their side’s clash with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.

While many would point to racism being a societal problem that leaks into all aspects of life, soccer included, it must be pointed out that soccer authorities often fail to nip the problem in the bud – particularly in Spain.

In the immediate aftermath of the incidents during the Madrid Derby at the Metropolitano last weekend, both the Spanish FA and Atlético Madrid themselves were relatively silent when it came to condemning the disgraceful actions of the fans.

That was until Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, a self-proclaimed Atlético Madrid fan, spoke out about the incident in an exclusive interview with POLITICO at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in the days after the match.

“I’m a big supporter of Atlético Madrid, so I was very sad,” Sánchez stated. “And I expected a strong message from the clubs against this kind of behavior. This is what I will ask of my team.”

As a result of Sánchez’s condemnation of the chants, and his plea for a response, Atlético Madrid released a statement of their own to address the situation.

The statement partly read, “Our club has always been known for being an open and inclusive space for fans of different nationalities, cultures, races, and social classes, and a few cannot tarnish the image of thousands and thousands of Atleti fans who support their team with passion and respect for their opponents,”

“These chants provoke enormous repulsion and indignation. We will not allow any individual to hide behind our colors to utter insults of a racist or xenophobic nature.”

The capital club followed up by saying, “Our decision is firm and emphatic and we will not stop until we expel them from the Red and Whites’ family because they cannot be part of it.”

The Spanish media has revealed that arrests are expected to be made, as well as the possibility that the club bans certain ultra groups from attending matches at the Metropolitano indefinitely.

Cynics will believe that the club’s statement came only to appease Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, but for those who are keen to see racism eradicated from soccer, it is one small step in the right direction.