Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused Elche striker Rafa Mir of a racist insult during their teams’ La Liga match on Sunday, according to the referee’s report.
Referee Iosu Galech Apezteguia briefly interrupted the match under the anti-racism protocol in the 80th minute after speaking to Moroccan international El Hilali.
«El Hilali told me that (Mir) addressed him in the following terms: ‘You came here on a rubber boat’, which could not be heard by any member of the refereeing team,» the referee wrote in his report.
“That is why I activated the anti-racism protocol, which stopped the match for three minutes.”
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El Hilali, who was born in Spain, appeared visibly upset after the incident.
Mir scored a penalty in the 90th minute to secure the hosts a 2-2 draw against Espanyol.
In October 2025, the Spanish striker, who was on loan from Sevilla to Elche, was indicted on allegations of sexual assault.
Spanish football has struggled to deal with racism in the stands in recent years, with Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior regularly targeted.
In February, Vinicius accused Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him in a Champions League match.
In May 2025, five Valladolid supporters were jailed for one year for racist insults against Vinicius in 2022.
Four members of an Atletico Madrid ultra group were given prison sentences in January 2023 for displaying an image of Vinicius, although the sentence was later commuted to fines.
Published on March 1, 2026
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