This is the bread of every weekend”, says Tomás Desembre, president of the Barcino Barcelonista Supporters Club, referring to the racist insults uttered by a spectator to a black player, only 12 years old, in a children's game in Sant Andreu .
What is no longer so common is that one of those "repeated xenophobic attacks" in fields where children play, as revealed by Desembre, ends in a criminal proceeding.
That is what has happened in this case.
And Tomás Desembre, whose rock manages the Menorca-Sant Martí municipal facility (where these events occurred) did not hide his satisfaction yesterday for the step taken "and the notice that is launched with this complaint."
This is an "important and much-needed wake-up call", repeats this manager of the children's competition. A serious corrective for those who believe that anything goes on a soccer field, regardless of whether those playing are children or adults.
Desembre congratulates himself on the fact that, finally, "one of those many protocols that send us about a thousand things has served to stop a racist attack." The rule was applied by the match referee without anyone asking him to. "He did very well," confirms the president of Barcino.
The insulted child, of a Spanish mother and an African father, "was born here", reveals Tomás Desembre. On Sunday he was playing with his teammates at home and a supportive spectator of the visiting team directed repeated insults at that boy of only 12 years old: “What are you doing monkey? Son of a bitch,” he yelled at her.
The referee heard it and stopped the match. There were only 15 minutes to go until the end and the match – in application of that protocol to prosecute racist insults – was suspended.
The referee's reaction, according to his minutes, was not well received, however, by some spectators of the visiting team. Another sample of the work that still remains to be done with these xenophobic incidents in soccer among children.
Although that loud and manifest discomfort of a part of the stands did not intimidate the referee. The Mossos were called and a patrol went to the field.
The 49-year-old author of these xenophobic proclamations was identified and criminal proceedings were initiated for a hate crime after the player's father reported those events at a police station on Sunday.
The Mossos confirm the opening of this criminal investigation and admit, despite not being able to say whether or not it is the first time that investigations of this nature have been launched in a children's soccer field, that if there were other cases, "they would be counted". .
Things are clearer in adult soccer. LaLiga seems to have put its batteries to battle xenophobia on soccer fields and is concerned, at least it says so, to denounce any type of violence both on and off the pitch.
One of the latest cases was suffered by the Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior, the victim of racist insults at the José Zorrilla stadium.
And if this is done in adult soccer, there is no excuse for this persecution to also extend to children's competition, where the bill –due to the age of the victims– is more expensive.
