Liga racism: Etame Mayer – "There are Nazis in the crowd"

In tears, Vinicius Jr could not bear the racist abuse from Valencia supporters, who literally called him a "black monkey". The Real Madrid star later condemned the disgraceful incident on his social media accounts, taking a swipe at La Liga in the process.

And it was not the first time a player has been the victim of racism. Racist abuse is fairly common in Spanish football, says former Cameroon international Laureano Bissan Etame Mayer, known as Lauren. "I grew up here in Spain and we all know there are Nazis in the crowd", the two-time Premier League winner told BBC Sport Africa. He went on: "The Real Madrid supporters, the Ultra Sur, the Boixos Nois of Barcelona, the Frente Atletico of Atletico Madrid, the United Family of Real Betis, the Ultras Yomus of Valencia, the Brigadas Blanquiazules of Espanyol – they are all Nazis."

For the former Indomitable Lion, racism has gained ground because of the laxity of the Spanish authorities. "They have been at the stadium every week since I was a child. The Spanish authorities do nothing about them. They even let them go to the training ground to put pressure on the players, and that is why I say it is the system that allows this (racism) to happen." He added: "The only (club) president who said 'I don't want Ultra Sur supporters at Real Madrid any more' was Florentino Perez. He is the only president who said 'I don't want far-right people in my stadium.' The other presidents do nothing at all... That is the reality here in Spain... in La Liga, in the second division, in the third division. Vinicius makes the situation even harder because he plays for Real Madrid."

Several top-level players have been victims of racism in Spanish football, including Mouctar Diakhaby. The Guinea international even snubbed La Liga's anti-racism banner.

"Twenty years ago it happened with Samuel Eto'o and nothing happened. Dani Alves with Barcelona, when they threw bananas, and nothing happened," Etam Mayer insisted. He urged the Spanish authorities to take drastic measures to put an end to the problem. La Liga has also formally asked the Spanish government to change the law so that it has the power to impose sanctions such as full or partial stadium closures, bans on supporters attending and financial penalties.