La Liga is set to investigate a fresh racism controversy after Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused Elche striker Rafa Mir of directing a racist insult at him during Sunday’s 2‑2 draw at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
The incident occurred in the second half when El Hilali informed referee Iosu Galech Apezteguía that Mir had told him, “you came in a boat.” The referee noted the allegation in his official report, though he clarified that none of the officiating team heard the remark. Following protocol, play was stopped for three minutes.
The referee’s report has now been submitted to La Liga, which will analyse testimonies from players and coaches, as well as match footage, to determine the facts. The case follows closely after the recent Vinicius Junior‑Gianluca Prestianni racism controversy, adding further scrutiny to the league’s handling of such incidents.
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Espanyol head coach Manolo Gonzalez expressed full support for El Hilali after the match. Speaking to the media, Gonzalez said: “I understand that it is a racist insult. Omar had never stopped a game; I understand that it will be true. I’m not sure what happened, but from what I’ve understood it’s Rafa Mir who says something to him. The referee told us that he applied the anti‑racist protocol.”
Gonzalez added that racism must be eliminated from football and society, but also stressed that insults of all kinds should be addressed. “We focus on racism and it’s very important, but there are a lot of insults in football that need to be eliminated. They cause very unpleasant situations,” he said.
