New Study Shows Lamine Yamal Targeted in Majority of la Liga Online Racial Attacks

A recent study by the Spanish Observatory of Racism and Xenophobia (Oberaxe) finds that Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal receives more online racial abuse than all other La Liga players combined.

Using an AI tool called FARO to scan social media, researchers recorded 33,438 incidents of reportable racist content last season. The study shows Yamal was the target of about 60% of those attacks. Vinicius Junior was the second most attacked player, receiving roughly 29% of the abuse. Together, the two players account for nearly 90% of the recorded racial insults. Other named targets include Kylian Mbappé, Alejandro Balde, Brahim Díaz, and Inaki Williams.

The report also breaks down targets by club. Players from Real Madrid and Barcelona were the most affected, at about 34% and 32% respectively. Other clubs named were Real Valladolid (17%), Valencia (8%), Athletic Club (6%), Real Sociedad (5%), and Atlético Madrid (5%).

Oberaxe tested how social platforms handle reports of racial abuse. Facebook removed around 62% of flagged content, making it the most active in takedowns. Twitter/X performed the worst, removing just about 10% of reported posts.

Racism in Spanish football has risen both in stadiums and online in recent years. High profile incidents, such as attacks on Yamal at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2024, have increased public attention. While La Liga has pushed measures to curb racism in stadiums, critics say punishments are still inconsistent and not strong enough to deter offenders.

The study adds fresh evidence that online abuse remains a major problem for a few visible players and calls for better moderation and firmer sanctions to protect those targeted.