Doha – Villarreal CF winger Ilias Akhomach has become the target of a vicious racist attack on social media by FC Barcelona supporters following a rough tackle on Barça’s rising star Lamine Yamal in yesterday’s La Liga match. The incident has sparked outrage in Morocco, with the local press heavily covering the story.
During Villarreal’s 1-5 defeat to Barcelona, the 20-year-old Akhomach, who came on as a late substitute, made a hard challenge on the 17-year-old Yamal in the final minutes of the match. This prompted a flurry of racist insults and hate messages directed at Akhomach on his social media profiles.
Comments ranged from “Moro de mierda, no vuelvas a pisar Barcelona” (“Shitty Moor, don’t step foot in Barcelona again”), to “Puto moro. Ya sabemos por qué te echamos” (“F***ing Moor. Now we know why we kicked you out”). Other comments wrote “Eres una basura” (“You are garbage”), accompanied by additional vile slurs. The abuse has caused significant upset in Akhomach’s home country of Morocco.
Ironically, Akhomach is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy, where he trained from the age of seven before eventually leaving for Villarreal in 2023. He even made his first-team debut for Barça under Xavi in 2021 at just 17 years old.
Originally an international for Spain’s youth teams, Akhomach switched allegiances to represent Morocco’s under-19s in October 2023. The winger has not been able to replicate his best form so far this season for Villarreal, failing to score or assist in his five La Liga appearances.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Villarreal players repeatedly targeted Yamal with aggressive challenges throughout the match, leading to heightened tensions and a series of confrontations between the two sides.
When asked if Yamal should receive special protection from referees to prevent further rough treatment, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick replied: “We must protect all players.”
The despicable racist abuse Akhomach has suffered as a result of the single tough tackle has overshadowed the incident itself and reignited larger concerns around the ongoing scourge of racism in the game, both on and off the pitch. Football authorities in Spain will be under pressure to strongly condemn and take action against this unacceptable fan behavior.
Read also: Spain’s Olympic Team Coach: ‘We Have Incredible Appreciation for Ilias Akhomach’
