The Spanish government on Thursday demanded that Villarreal face a heavier punishment after a fan threw a banana at Barcelona star Dani Alves.
Spanish soccer authorities fined Villarreal 12,000 euros (US$17,000) on Wednesday, but the Spanish interior ministry’s anti-violence commission said it would appeal that decision.
“The sanction taken by the Spanish football federation must be reviewed given the seriousness of the facts,” a spokesman said.
Photo: AFP
Earlier, Villarreal were hit by a second fine of 6,000 euros and the fan was banned for two years.
The anti-violence commission also decided to meet as soon as possible “to conduct an in-depth discussion having noted an increase in the seriousness of racist incidents at football grounds.”
International outrage erupted after the banana landed on the pitch near 30-year-old Alves during the league clash at Villarreal’s El Madrigal on April 27.
Alves won praise for nonchalantly picking up the banana and taking a bite, before setting up a goal to help Barca rally and seal a 3-2 victory.
A week after the Alves incident, Pape Diop, a 28-year-old Senegalese player for La Liga side Levante UD, reacted by dancing when he was targeted by monkey chants during his side’s 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
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