A new case of racist insults, similar to the case between Prestianni and Vinícius, took place in LaLiga last weekend, when Elche striker Rafa Mir allegedly insulted Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali in the 78th minute. It happened during a 2-2 draw on Sunday, when the referee crossed his arms to activate the anti-racism protocol. According to El Hilali, born in Spain of Moroccan parents, Mir said that he "had come in a dinghy".
The referee did not hear it, but after El Hilali informed him, he paused the match for three minutes. Due to lack of evidence, because Mir covered his mouth, the match resumed, and Mir scored a goal minutes later.
Now both clubs fight for their version of the events: Mir has said that he did not say such thing, and instead he said to him "I'm going to rip your head off". Violent, yes, but not racist. Mir, loaned to Elche from Valencia, was accused of sexual assault in 2024, and the High Court of Valencia said last year that there is evidence that he is guilty.
This incident became only the second time that the anti-racism protocol, which causes the match to be temporarily suspended, has been activated in LaLiga for racists insults from one player to another, since the protocol was launched in 2019, according to El País. The first time was in April 2021, when Juan Cala insulted Mouctar Diakhaby.