Nico Williams holds fighting against racism as his sole lifetime goal amid continued issues with such abuse in Spain.

The Athletic Bilbao forward was subject to racial abuse away to Atletico Madrid last season, leading Spain's footballing authorities to force a partial closure of their south stand for two matches.

Vinicius Junior has suffered similar targeting for Atletico's fierce rivals Real Madrid, with the Brazilian suggesting Spain should be stripped of the honour in hosting the 2030 World Cup unless progress is made.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has attempted numerous anti-racism measures in an effort to clamp down on the issue, while Spanish court made history by issuing the first criminal conviction for racial insults in a football stadium in June.

Williams will not be satisfied until the abuse is erased entirely, however, as the Spain winger – whose brother Inaki plays for Ghana and alongside him at club level – pledged to continue in the much-needed fight.

"My brother and I, as black people, have an important task in this life, which is the fight against racism," Williams said in an interview with Spanish media outlet El Mundo.

"It's my number one goal. As a public figure, in order to contribute to that fight, I cannot be sidetracked or become a freak and not have my feet on the ground."

The issues remain prevalent in Spain – a Mallorca fan was issued a 12-month suspended prison sentence for racially insulting Vinicius and Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze in September. 

"I think that Spain is moving forward on the right path and we must continue like this. I am very happy to see that progress is being made," Williams added.

"There are always people who try to sell another image of immigrants, but they are a minority."

Williams attracted attention from Barcelona and a host of European giants after playing a decisive role in Spain's victory at Euro 2024. 

The 22-year-old believes his efforts with the national team embody a multicultural Spain, having been born in the country to Ghanaian parents, with his brother Inaki opting to play for his home country.

"It is important to make everyone aware that many people come to Spain to earn their bread, to try to achieve a future that they do not have in their countries and to give a better life to their children," he continued.

"My family did that journey. I am going to try to do everything in my power so that these people can have a better life."

Marcel Desailly has called on LaLiga to do more to protect Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and other players who have been targeted by racist abuse.

Vinicius broke down at a press conference earlier this month as he opened up about the abuse he has received from the stands while representing Madrid.

The Brazil international is not alone in that regard, with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni another example, and World Cup winner Desailly wants more to be done.

"Vinicius has spoken out, but it's not about him - it's about LaLiga and the people who can take action," he told Stats Perform.

"We have the power to change things, but we are not doing enough. Samuel Eto'o had the same issue before.

"Vinicius is one of those who is suffering because the administrative people in charge are not willing to hit harder than they are."

Vinicius has been a key player for LaLiga champions-elect Madrid once again this season with 13 goals and five assists in 23 outings.

Desailly regards Vinicius, who scored the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final, as one of the finest players of his generation.

"He's a very ambitious player," Desailly said. "I think he's improved a lot because he is now clinical in assisting and finishing.

"When you look at someone like Ousmane Dembele, his stats are not as good.

"Then you look at Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka, another who has improved - there is potential for each of those to get close to Vinicius."

Udinese have banned for life a supporter found to have used discriminatory behaviour towards AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The Serie A club, which are working to track down further offenders, said the sanction against the individual identified by staff and police using security cameras at the Bluenergy Stadium would take immediate effect.

An investigation was launched after France international Maignan left the pitch during the first half of Saturday’s 3-2 win in Udine, having apparently indicated to referee Fabio Maresca that he had heard racist abuse from the crowd.

A statement from Udinese said: “In a joint effort with the local police authorities and utilising the Bluenergy Stadium security cameras, Udinese Calcio has identified the first individual responsible for discriminatory behaviour towards AC Milan player Mike Maignan.

“This person will face a lifetime ban from attending any Udinese Calcio matches. This ban is effective immediately.

“We believe that such strong measures are necessary to send a clear message that racism has no place in football or society. Udinese Calcio stands firmly against any form of discrimination and we are determined to create an inclusive and respectful environment within our football community.

“We thank the authorities for their cooperation and together we will continue to work tirelessly in order to identify and punish other individuals who were involved in this incident and that tarnish the sporting ethics of the club, the region, the city of Udine and a fan base that has always been a model of integration and respect.

“We want to ensure that our stadium remains a space where everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, background, culture, and language is able to enjoy the beautiful game without fear of discrimination.

“Udinese Calcio calls on all football stakeholders to unite in the fight against racism and discrimination, fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion.”

Speaking after the game, which restarted after a delay of around 10 minutes, Maignan told Milan TV: “I heard them making monkey noises. After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence. We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

The incident in Italy came on the same day that Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer reported he had been abused by Sheffield Wednesday supporters in his team’s Championship fixture at Hillsborough, prompting claims from Professional Footballers’ Association chair Omar Beckles that players do not believe the football authorities have put in place strong enough deterrents to combat racism.

Beckles said: “Our members want to see real, consistent and significant consequences for racist abuse, both for the individuals who are responsible and for clubs who fail to get a grip of the issue within their stadiums.

“The reality is that players don’t believe this is happening. The responsibility for what happens next lies with the authorities.”

Beckles said the PFA had been working closely with referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to give insights from a player’s perspective on protocols for dealing with racist incidents.

He added: “We’ve encouraged players, when they are aware of racial abuse, to take control of the situation by delaying restarts, free-kicks, and throw-ins.

“A stoppage in play – however long it takes – forces a response. It creates a window to alert match officials and gives the best chance of identifying those responsible.

“However, without action, the protocols are useless.”

Speaking specifically about Palmer’s experience, Beckles said: “Kasey Palmer deserves to be commended for his exemplary behaviour and measured response in an extremely challenging situation.

“Those responsible for this incident were recorded and they must be identified. They should face criminal charges and a ban from football.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has suggested clubs whose fans are guilty of such abuse be subject to automatic forfeits.

Players do not believe the football authorities have put in place strong enough deterrents to combat racism, the chair of the Professional Footballers’ Association has said.

Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer and AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan both reported being racially abused during their sides’ matches at the weekend.

Both matches eventually restarted after the alleged incidents, and PFA chair Omar Beckles says players are not convinced the authorities are acting strongly enough on this issue.

“Our members want to see real, consistent and significant consequences for racist abuse, both for the individuals who are responsible and for clubs who fail to get a grip of the issue within their stadiums,” Beckles said.

“The reality is that players don’t believe this is happening. The responsibility for what happens next lies with the authorities.”

Beckles said the PFA had been working closely with referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to give insights from a player’s perspective on protocols for dealing with racist incidents.

“We’ve encouraged players, when they are aware of racial abuse, to take control of the situation by delaying restarts, free-kicks, and throw-ins,” Beckles added.

“A stoppage in play – however long it takes – forces a response. It creates a window to alert match officials and gives the best chance of identifying those responsible.

“However, without action, the protocols are useless.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a post on his organisation’s X account on Sunday: “As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists.”

Palmer reported he had been abused by Sheffield Wednesday supporters in his team’s Championship match at Hillsborough on Saturday. The match was stopped for several minutes while officials spoke to both managers.

“Kasey Palmer deserves to be commended for his exemplary behaviour and measured response in an extremely challenging situation,” Beckles added.

“Those responsible for this incident were recorded, and they must be identified. They should face criminal charges and a ban from football.

“The PFA remains resolute against racism and steadfast in supporting our players.”

Sheffield United have launched an investigation into an alleged racist incident in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth at Bramall Lane.

United will now work with South Yorkshire Police to identify the culprit and are threatening “the strongest possible action”.

Details of the incident have not yet been released but a statement from the Blades read: “Sheffield United is disappointed to learn of an alleged racist incident in Saturday’s Premier League fixture against AFC Bournemouth.

“The Club take a zero-tolerance approach to racism and stands firmly against all forms of discrimination.

“An investigation is now underway, in conjunction with South Yorkshire Police, and officials at Sheffield United will continue to liaise with the Premier League and AFC Bournemouth.

“Sheffield United will take the strongest possible action, which includes a club ban, against any so-called fan found responsible.”

United slumped to their 10th defeat of the season, with a Marcus Tavernier brace sandwiching Justin Kluivert’s goal, before substitute Oli McBurnie replied for the hosts late on.

Former England international Ugo Monye was left “so fed up” after being subjected to the “most blatant racism” he has heard from a supporter as he left Sunday’s match between Exeter and Gloucester.

The 40-year-old ex-Harlequins player, now a pundit, said the incident occurred as he was leaving Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon following the Chiefs’ 25-24 Gallagher Premiership victory.

Monye wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that as he was leaving the stadium, one supporter running through crowd repeatedly shouted a racist insult. He added: “Disgraceful. Not a single person said a word, challenged or even reported it.

“He walks off after a mild scuffle and fans are now telling me ‘We’re with you’ B******S you’re with me. You weren’t with me when you saw and heard the most blatant racism I’ve seen from a supporter at a live game. So fed up.”

Exeter swiftly issued a statement vowing to investigate the matter and apologising to Monye.

It read: “In light of recent accusations regarding an incident of racist abuse at Sandy Park following the conclusion of our victory over Gloucester in the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter will be launching a full investigation.

“This behaviour will not be tolerated at our rugby club, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

“Our team will begin to review CCTV footage from the stadium immediately in an attempt to identify the individual in question and we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Ugo Monye, a member of the rugby community that is highly respected by everyone at our club.

“If anyone has any information regarding this incident we would ask you to get in touch with the Chiefs as soon as you can.”

Premiership Rugby also offered support to Monye and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Its statement read: “Premiership Rugby is aware of the accusations of racist abuse suffered by Ugo Monye at Sandy Park following the Exeter match against Gloucester.

“Premiership Rugby offers our full support to Ugo Monye and we stand united with our clubs and players in the fight against racism. Racism has absolutely no place in our game or society.

“Exeter have launched a full investigation and we urge anyone with any information to come forward.”

A racism case involving the Republic of Ireland has been closed by FIFA due to insufficient evidence.

A Republic of Ireland Under-21 substitute was allegedly racially abused as he warmed up during a friendly match against Kuwait Under-22s in Austria on June 19.

The Irish players walked off the field in response to the alleged incident and the match was abandoned.

The PA news agency reported in September that the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had submitted a formal complaint concerning the matter to FIFA, but football’s world governing body FIFA has now confirmed that the case has been closed.

The FAI said at the time of the alleged incident: “The comment was heard by a number of Ireland players, who reported this immediately to match officials as well as to members of the Ireland and Kuwait team staff.

“Due to the nature of the remark made and with no affirmative action in relation to it from our opponents, the game was abandoned. FAI staff and players were fully in support with this decision.

“The FAI has offered its full and unequivocal support to the player who was subjected to racism and to his team-mates. The FAI does not tolerate any racism towards any of our players or staff.”

The FAI has been approached for comment regarding the closure of the case.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously spoken about his organisation’s determination to tackle racism.

Speaking in June, prior to the Republic of Ireland allegation, Infantino said: “(Racism) is a football-related problem and we mustn’t look for excuses like, ‘It’s society’s problem, therefore, it’s fine in football’.

“In the world of football, we must act in a very forceful way.”

He added: “There is no football if there is racism. So let’s stop the games.

“The referees have this opportunity in FIFA competitions as we have this process for stopping the game, and actions have to be taken at every level, at national level as well. Everyone has to understand this and we will go, together, until the end.”

FIFA has issued sanctions on discrimination cases in the past, with the football associations of Ecuador, Mexico and Serbia given partial or full stadium closure orders and hit with fines in relation to misconduct by their supporters at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

As part of the Social Media Protection Service, teams and players at that tournament were offered access to software that – with the account holder’s permission – could automatically and instantly hide abusive and offensive comments on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube only.

Through the moderation element of the service, a total of 286,895 comments were hidden from public view before the targeted recipient or their followers had to see their contents.

West Ham defender Hawa Cissoko has reflected on the racist abuse she suffered last year and called for social media companies to offer more security online.

Cissoko received a torrent of racism after she was sent off following an altercation with Aston Villa’s Sarah Mayling during a 2-1 defeat in the Women’s Super League on October 15.

It was subsequently reported to the police, but Cissoko believes racist people will “find every opportunity” to be so.

“Yes I was surprised to be honest,” Cissoko admitted of the racism she faced.

“It’s not that I thought the men were lying or that it wasn’t happening to them, but it never happened in women’s football or maybe if it did then the women were quiet. I didn’t expect it would happen to me, especially when the people that did it don’t even watch our games.

“If it was from people who follow the league I would understand a little bit more, but when it was from not even French or English people I was like, ‘you should focus on your own business’.

“I realised, okay some people are just racist and they just find every opportunity to be racist and say whatever they want.

“When I understood this, it was easier to deal with because at the beginning you take things personally, you think they don’t like you when they see you every week, they hate me, but when I realised it was outside of WSL fans, I thought, ‘I don’t care’.

“I know that some people, they send messages because they know that nothing is going to happen even if you tell them you’re going to the police. They know nothing will happen. We need more security and more. I don’t know how they can do it.”

The Government did last week sign off an Online Safety Bill, which is designed to make the internet in Britain safer.

However, Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham received racist abuse earlier this month to further highlight the fight to rid the sport of discrimination still has a long way to go.

Cissoko conceded the best way she found to deal with the racism was to turn off her phone.

She added: “Yeah it’s hard (to receive abuse), but it depends on who you have around you. If you have nice team-mates and your manager supports you and shows you love, respect and the support you need, then it is easier. Obviously I have my family as well.

“On social media I just ignore people because it is not real. Those people, they can say a lot of things on social media but if they met me they would never say this because they would see I am actually a human with a heart and feelings.

“If I turn off my phone, they don’t exist. The most important thing is the relationships I have with my team-mates, my coach and my family.”

Paris-born Cissoko will begin her fourth season with West Ham this weekend and remains eager to change the perception around her.

The France international was sent off twice in the 2021-22 campaign before her notable red card last October.

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“I think some people have made a picture around me as a player that I am aggressive and stuff like that, but if you look, I think I do less fouls than any other defender,” Cissoko pointed out.

“I’m really quite chill and calm. When I go to the referees, I try to be respectful, I speak with a low voice all the time. I have had the same with male and female refs.

“Once I was tackled and I felt like it was a foul and he didn’t and I said, ‘hey, ref, this is a foul!’ And he said, ‘no, just calm down’. This is not the moment to say, ‘calm down’ just ignore me and I will calm down!

“I think it’s just the misunderstanding between players and referees. I think we just need to speak to them. I will understand them more if I speak to and they will understand more.

“I am going to tell you a secret. As players, everyone wants to be a journalist or a coach, but I think after my career I would like to become a referee.

“Maybe I need to start learning with the under 15’s and go to their game and referee, maybe it will change my mind. No top level player in the men’s or women’s game has become a referee. Maybe I can be the first one.”

A 63-year-old man has been charged by police after former Scotland international Majid Haq was allegedly racially abused at a match.

The incident took place when Haq was umpiring a game at Greenock Cricket Club on Saturday.

Allegations by Haq and former Scotland team-mate Qasim Sheikh led to an independent review which concluded last year that Cricket Scotland was institutionally racist.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 63-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with racial abuse which happened in Brisbane Street, Greenock, on Saturday 12 August 2023.

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the man is expected to appear in court at a later date.”

Sheikh sent out a message of solidarity to his former team-mate.

He wrote on Twitter: “Still people will live in denial, social media trolls will continue to abuse and push a dangerous narrative that only further fuels racism. I’m sad my friend @MajidHaq was subjected to this and he has my full solidarity.”

A Cricket Scotland statement relating to the alleged incident on Saturday said it “condemns in the strongest possible” terms the alleged behaviour.

It said: “Racism has no place in sport or society. It is a scar on cricket, and Cricket Scotland is wholly committed, along with our partners, to eradicating racist behaviour and attitudes from our game.

“As this incident is now part of a live criminal case, Cricket Scotland is
unable to comment further.

“However, the governing body can confirm it is working in conjunction with the CSMOA (Cricket Scotland Match Officials Association), WDCU (Western District Cricket Union) and Greenock Cricket Club to ensure internal disciplinary proceedings proceed swiftly and appropriately, following due process.”

A number of changes have taken place at Cricket Scotland since the damning report was published in July last year detailing 448 examples of institutional racism, and the governing body is working through a number of referrals on incidents that were flagged up during the review.

Cricket Scotland was placed in special measures by sportscotland as a result of the review.

A spokesperson for the national agency for sport said: “We are deeply concerned about recent reports in relation to racism in Scottish cricket and it is vital all complaints of this nature are robustly investigated and dealt with appropriately and as a matter of urgency.

“We are in close contact with Cricket Scotland relating to events of this weekend.

“Sport should be a fun and welcoming place for all, free from racism, discrimination and inequalities and we will continue to support Cricket Scotland as it addresses these issues.”

Football's governing bodies must do more to protect referees amid a "considerable rise" in abuse that has often been met with a "silent" response.

That was the message from Ref Support chief executive Martin Cassidy, who referenced issues with Bruno Fernandes, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andrew Robertson in the Premier League this season.

Fernandes appeared to make contact with an assistant referee in Liverpool's 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United, while Mitrovic was banned for eight games after pushing Chris Kavanagh.

Robertson was another involved in an altercation with an official, when assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis seemingly made contact with the Liverpool left-back with his elbow, though the official faced no further punishment after an investigation.

A couple of seasons earlier, former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero came under scrutiny for placing his hand on the shoulder of assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis during a home victory over Arsenal. 

Cassidy believes the response to the rise in these issues has been inadequate, calling on the likes of the League Managers Association (LMA) and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) to do more.

He told Stats Perform: "From a domestic point of view, what's been going on over here with the situations that [there has been] a considerable rise in contact with match officials from what's happened with Sian Massey-Ellis, Bruno Fernandes, Mitrovic, Robertson – it’s on the rise.

"When's it going to stop? And there are people who are silent on this who shouldn't be silent on this – the LMA, the PFA and even the Football Supporters' Association, they're all quiet on this, they comment on everything else.

"They will talk all these white papers and governments, and they tweet about enough is enough about things [that are important] to them, but they never come out and publicly condemn their behaviour by their members.

"The LMA never do it. We wrote to them, and we got a very benign, weak response. [The] PFA never say anything about the behaviour of their players – their members.

"Certainly, there never seems to be any stance from supporters associations who really want to stand up and say: 'Look, we are going to do something here, what's the protocols, what's the code of conduct for managers in the LMA, what is the code of conduct for a professional footballer with regard to how they behave with these post-match comments here?'

"So, there are a lot of silent people here who need to step up like the FA have in this country. When these people criticise the FA, the LMA and the PFA need to look at themselves and say what they are doing to address the situation that's caused directly by their members."

Cassidy acknowledged the problems span wider than English football, with the ill-tempered Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla marred by abuse of referee Anthony Taylor after the game.

Aside from refereeing issues, the ongoing racially motivated problems with Vinicius Junior and Spanish football continue – and Cassidy believes UEFA must improve.

"UEFA hasn't really got a good track record on what they've done with racism," he added. "So, they have been quite weak on that really and very erratic.

"Look at what has happened in Spain, they haven't really taken control of that. So, I'm not very hopeful that they'll respond to this in a manner that football wants it to respond to, but hopefully they prove us wrong.

"UEFA does, in particular with the UEFA foundation, some wonderful stuff. But when it comes to stuff like this, they don't seem to – look at what happened in the Champions League final last year, Liverpool-Real Madrid – they never really covered themselves in glory there.

"Let's take this opportunity, UEFA, let's make the game better. Let's come out hard and tough and let's send a message that this behaviour is totally unacceptable in our game."

LaLiga's handling of the "absolutely disgraceful" instances of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior has been "completely inadequate".

That was the message from Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari after Vinicius was subjected to more abuse by sections of the crowd at Valencia's win over Real Madrid last Sunday.

Valencia's punishments for the incident were reduced on appeal, with the partial closure of Mestalla Stadium cut from five matches to three and their financial penalty also sliced.

Bhandari, chair of the organisation aiming to eradicate racism from football, says the Spanish Football Federation and LaLiga president Javier Tebas have failed to support Vinicius.

"I think the treatment we've seen of Vinicius has been absolutely disgraceful," Bhandari told Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards.

"It's 10 or 11 games, it's not just this last weekend, it's been happening over the course of the last two seasons.

"The response of the Spanish authorities has been completely inadequate and it's actually been worse than inadequate because it's made the matter worse.

"The way Javier Tebas, who runs LaLiga, responded trying to blame Vinicius and treating him as if he's a problem when actually he's the victim… it's really sort of going back 30 or 40 years."

Tebas was a vocal critic after Vinicius labelled LaLiga racist, the league's president criticising the 22-year-old for "not informing himself properly" before subsequently apologising for those comments.

The incident – and Tebas' reaction to it – sparked widespread condemnation of LaLiga and Spanish football's relationship with race, with Bhandari calling for further action on the issues.

He added: "They need to get on with taking more concrete steps to kick discrimination out of Spanish football, it's not acceptable to have whole stands of fans doing monkey chants.

"Making monkey noises and shouting monkey to Vinicius, that's totally unacceptable and there shouldn't be any deflection and making excuses for that kind of behaviour, which is what we have seen.

"They need to get on it and if that means closing the stand, that's a good step. We welcome that and fines are a move in the right direction.

"But if it doesn't stop that should move to points deductions and further sanctions."

Valencia have had their partial stadium closure reduced to three matches and their fine cut to 27,000 euros following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior by fans.

The Spanish Football Federation appeals committee said that it had decided to “partially uphold” Valencia’s appeal.

It means the partial closure of the Mestalla Stadium has come down from five matches, with an initial 45,000 euros (£39,000) punishment reduced by 18,000 euros.

Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Real Madrid’s LaLiga match against Valencia on Sunday after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Madrid, who said the abuse constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Valencia had 10 working days to file an appeal to the appeals committee.

LaLiga players and officials called for racism to be tackled in Spain in the wake of Sunday’s match.

Before Tuesday night’s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players from both sides, as well as the match officials, stood behind banners which read “Racism, out of football”.

Vinicius was set to serve a two or three-match ban after being sent off at Valencia, but Spain’s competition committee – a body formed by one member from LaLiga, one from the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) and one from RFEF (Spanish FA) – has rescinded that red card.

LaLiga, meanwhile, said it would request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans were guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius incident.

According to the country’s law, LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out.

Four people were arrested in Spain on Tuesday under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January.

An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year.

And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended.

Vinicius Junior watched on from the stands as his fellow Brazilian Rodrygo sealed a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

Madrid winger Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia supporters during Los Blancos' defeat at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, with the winger then sent off.

With that red card rescinded, injury kept Vinicius from featuring against Rayo on Wednesday, though Karim Benzema's finish had seemingly set Madrid on their way to a comfortable victory.

Raul de Tomas' excellent strike pegged Madrid back, but Rodrygo lashed home in the 89th minute to lift Los Blancos, temporarily at least, into second place.

Rayo were the more threatening in the opening exchanges – Alvaro Garcia heading over between Unai Lopez and Santi Comesana forcing Thibaut Courtois into action.

Yet Madrid went ahead just after the half-hour mark as Rayo were caught napping at a drop-ball, which was taken quickly by Toni Kroos. Federico Valverde and Benzema combined brilliantly to put the latter through and, after coolly rounding Stole Dimitrievski, he tucked home.

Moments after an untimely slip from Rodrygo saw a golden chance go begging for Madrid, Dimitrievski brilliantly denied Benzema a second, instinctively sticking out a hand to keep a close-range shot out.

Dani Carvajal volleyed wide from Luka Modric's chip as Madrid looked to put the game to bed, a wise decision given their record of two defeats from their previous four meetings with Rayo.

Madrid's failure to add to their lead looked to have proved costly with six minutes remaining, substitute De Tomas thumping in a brilliant equaliser.

But Rodrygo had the last laugh with his powerful last-gasp strike, with the 22-year-old raising his right fist in a celebration synonymous with the "black power" salute.

Gareth Southgate believes the fight against racism in football may have reached a defining moment as the fall-out from the abuse levelled against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior in Valencia last weekend continues.

The England boss has led calls for stricter punishment since his side came close to walking off the field after some players were subjected to racial abuse during a match in Bulgaria in 2019.

Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Sunday’s LaLiga match at the Mestalla after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Real Madrid, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

In response, Valencia were given a partial stadium ban for five matches plus a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000) – a punishment the club called “totally disproportionate”, while Valencia head coach Ruben Baraja vowed to lead the fight back against what he described as “smears”.

Southgate said: “It is a disgusting situation. I think it is so bad that it looks like it is going to force change. I am hoping there will be something positive to come from it.

“If anyone suggests to me we don’t have a problem in society with racism then there is another example of what we are dealing with, and more examples of people burying their heads in the sand, quite frankly.

“Hopefully it is a story that doesn’t just disappear in 24-48 hours without there being some significant change.”

The action by the Spanish football federation (RFEF), who order that Valencia shut the Mario Kempes south stand, where the alleged abuse happened, for five matches, was strongly criticised by the club, who vowed to appeal.

That criticism was echoed by Baraja in a prepared statement prior to a press conference on Wednesday, in which he stressed he was “absolutely against racism”, but added: “I am not going to allow the Valencia CF fans and Mestalla to be smeared with labels that do not represent us.

“Just as a player rightly fights back against insults and I support that with all my might, we as a club and a fanbase rebel against those who, during the days since the game, have accused us of being what we are not.”

Earlier, Valencia had issued a robust statement against the ruling, saying: “Valencia CF wishes to show its total disagreement and indignation at the unfair and disproportionate penalty imposed by the competition committee on the club with the closure of the stand for five games.

“Valencia CF wants to publicly denounce that in this resolution of the RFEF competition committee they show evidence that contradicts what the national police and LaLiga say.

“In addition, this sanction is based on evidence that the club has not been able to see and without giving us a hearing.

“Valencia CF has condemned, condemns and will condemn in the most energetic way any act of racism or violence. These behaviours have no place in football or in society and we will continue to act in the most forceful way to eradicate this scourge.

“For this reason, Valencia CF is collaborating from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred last Sunday.

“In addition, it has applied the maximum possible sanction with the expulsion for life from our stadium to the fans that the police have identified for their racist behaviour.

“For this reason we consider that penalising and depriving all the fans who were not involved in these unfortunate incidents from seeing their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair and unprecedented measure against which we will fight.

“The fight against racism requires the real commitment of all the parties involved without using it as a pretext to incur serious injustices.

“Valencia CF will appeal to the last instance the closure of the stand, a sanction that it considers totally unfair and one more offence in the latest disciplinary decisions that have been taken against the club. Valencia CF asks for the utmost respect and rigour for our institution and fans.”

In announcing the punishment against Valencia, the RFEF said in a statement: “The competition committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the league match between the local team and Real Madrid CF.

“It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious.”

Valencia will appeal against their five-game partial stadium closure and hefty fine following the racist abuse aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, calling the sanction “unfair and disproportionate”.

Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Sunday’s LaLiga match at the Mestalla after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Real Madrid, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

In response, the club have been ordered to shut the Mario Kempes south stand, where the alleged abuse happened, for five matches and have also been fined 45,000 euros (£39,000) by the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

Valencia said in a strongly worded statement: “Valencia CF wishes to show its total disagreement and indignation at the unfair and disproportionate penalty imposed by the competition committee on the club with the closure of the stand for five games.

“Valencia CF wants to publicly denounce that in this resolution of the RFEF competition committee they show evidence that contradicts what the national police and LaLiga say.

“In addition, this sanction is based on evidence that the club has not been able to see and without giving us a hearing.

“Valencia CF has condemned, condemns and will condemn in the most energetic way any act of racism or violence. These behaviours have no place in football or in society and we will continue to act in the most forceful way to eradicate this scourge.

“For this reason, Valencia CF is collaborating from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred last Sunday.

“In addition, it has applied the maximum possible sanction with the expulsion for life from our stadium to the fans that the police have identified for their racist behaviour.

“For this reason we consider that penalising and depriving all the fans who were not involved in these unfortunate incidents from seeing their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair and unprecedented measure against which we will fight.

“The fight against racism requires the real commitment of all the parties involved without using it as a pretext to incur serious injustices.

“Valencia CF will appeal to the last instance the closure of the stand, a sanction that it considers totally unfair and one more offence in the latest disciplinary decisions that have been taken against the club. Valencia CF asks for the utmost respect and rigour for our institution and fans.”

An RFEF statement on Tuesday night read: “The competition committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the league match between the local team and Real Madrid CF.

“It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious.

“In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros (£39,000) is imposed on Valencia.”

LaLiga players and officials called for racism to be tackled in Spain in the wake of Sunday’s match.

Before Tuesday night’s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players from both sides, as well as the match officials, stood behind banners which read ‘Racism, out of football’.

LaLiga shared a pre-match clip from the Celta-Girona game on its official Twitter account with the hashtag #JUNTOSContraElRacismo (#TOGETHERagainstRacism).

The footage also showed a supporter holding up a placard with ‘No Al Racismo’ (No to Racism) written on it.

There were similar sentiments at the Valladolid-Barcelona game as fans showed their support for Brazil international Vinicius.

Barcelona forward Raphinha removed his shirt when substituted to show a message which read: “As long as the colour of the skin is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war.”