Nico Williams, victim of racist chants at Atlético Madrid stadium

BARCELONA —

Another incident of racism in Spanish football marred Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Spanish striker Nico Williams said he was the victim of “monkey” noises when he took a corner in the first half at the Metropolitan Stadium.

Later, after scoring against Athletic, he appeared to respond to the insults when he turned to the stands and pointed to his forearm, referring to the color of his skin.

“I heard monkey sounds,” Williams told the DAZN platform. “There weren’t many of them, but there are stupid people everywhere. I hope things will gradually change.”

Colchonero captain Koke Resurrección expressed regret over the incident: “Atlético Madrid stands for Nico and is against such situations,” he noted.

The Spanish league has been unable to contain racist chants against black players. Vinicius Junior, the Brazilian star of Real Madrid, was a constant victim.

The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish football has yet to be scheduled. The case concerns Iñaki Williams, Nico’s brother, who was insulted by an Espanyol fan in a match played in 2020.

“We have a big problem with education in all areas and we need to focus on that,” Athletic coach Enresto Valverde said. “This is an excessive, out-of-touch problem, unusual, we hope it will not happen again. “I don’t quite understand it.”

FOURTH SQUARE

The win cemented Atlético Madrid into fourth place, six points clear of fifth-place Athletic with five games to go.

The top four players in the League gain access to the next Champions League.

Atlético’s first goal came from Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul in the 15th minute, who deflected a shot off a defender and past goalkeeper Unai Simon.

Nico equalized just before the break, capitalizing on a poor pass from Colchonero star Antoine Griezmann that was intercepted by Iñaki. The striker made way for Gorka Guruzeta, who left the ball wide open for Niko to score.

Argentine Angel Correa restored Atlético’s lead in the 52nd by returning the ball from midfield.

Samuel Lino put the final numbers in the 80th, hitting the post first and then deflecting off Simon.

GIRONA SECOND PLACE

Girona temporarily moved into second place after winning 2-0 at Las Palmas. Barcelona will regain second place if they beat Valencia on Monday.

Girona’s goals came from defenders David Lopez in the 26th and Artem Dovbik in the 57th. The Ukrainian converted the penalty and secured the title of top scorer of the tournament with 19 goals.

Paulo Gazzaniga, Girona’s Argentine goalkeeper, blocked Sandro Ramirez’s penalty kick when the score was 0-0.

OTHER RESULTS

Mason Greenwood scored two goals and contributed to the third as Getafe beat bottom team Almeria 3-1 to move into ninth place in the table, one point ahead of Villarreal.

Giuliano Simeone, son of Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone, scored his first goal since signing for Alaves as the Basque club beat Celta Vigo 3-0. Giuliano joined Alaves on loan last summer but broke his leg in pre-season and returned to action in January.

Celta are 17th, six points ahead of Cadiz and trying to avoid relegation.