Spanish police will have fresh powers to act against racism in sport, following a season which saw a major increase in incidents.
The number of incidents involving Vinicius Junior alone reached double figures last season, with the Brazilian declaring the league racist on social media. After sidestepping the issue for some time, La Liga promised to tackle the issue, and asked for more powers to do so.
Yet so far it is only the police that have been granted that power. As per MD, Spanish police will now be able to propose the suspension and then cancelation of sporting events should they detect racism, taking it somewhat out of the hands of the sporting authorities for the first time. They can also remove people or areas of venues in cases of discriminatory abuse.
This includes abuse that occurs outside of the venues themselves, which in terms of football often pertains to the arrival of team buses outside of stadiums.
The organising groups of sporting events, and those involved in their celebration will also face increased liability. Organising bodies and fan groups can now be subject to legal complaints if there is perceived to be promotion, justification or a culture of permissiveness of racism or discrimination.
While Spanish football still has some way to go in terms of rooting out or clamping down on racism, the ability to persecute discriminatory acts outside of the stadium addresses a blind spot in previous legislation and culpability that can now be addressed. The ability to evacuate entire areas is also a significant threat, but as with anything, it depends just as much on how the measures are applied.