LALIGA set for kickoff with renewed fight vs racism

LALIGA returns

With LALIGA set to resume both first and second division action on August 15, the league reaffirms its commitment to the fight against racism.

For the first three matchdays of the season, both LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION will have activities connected with the LALIGA VS RACISM campaign, highlighting and raising awareness about the need to combat racial discrimination.

Captains of all 42 LALIGA clubs will be wearing a special LALIGA VS RACISM armband, while all the stadia will have signage and posters detailing how fans can report racist acts and where to send them. These clubs will also have materials they can use to raise awareness towards their respective fanbases, through perimeter UTVs, video scoreboards and the anthem against racism which was launched last season.

The Spanish top-flight has been in the trenches in trying to address hatred and discrimination in football, acknowledging that it can be a strong platform to amplify the fight. On its end, it has developed its own platform to address this situation, called LALIGA VS, with the idea of promoting a respectful and inclusive society.

A variety of initiatives have been establish to address the problem, from a week against racism in partnership with EA SPORTS, to the launch of MOOD, an independent tool for monitoring conversation around sport on social media, which analyses these conversations to increase visibility and raise awareness. LALIGA has also engaged in legal actions, including the first conviction due to racist insults in a Spanish football stadium, which LALIGA filed before the courts.