The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain issued a sharply worded condemnation after fans hurled insults at Israeli football player Manor Solomon during a game.
The 26-year-old Israeli star endured the taunts as he scored the game-winning goal at the 86th minute on Tuesday to clinch his team’s 2-1 victory.
The FCJE called the insults “intolerable.”
Solomon, a member of Israel’s national football team, is currently on loan from Tottenham Hotspur to Spanish club Villarreal.
During a match against Sevilla FC, Villarreal put Solomon into the game near the end, in the 83rd minute. As Solomon entered, fans whistled and yelled from the stands, “Israelis are murderers.”
The taunts are believed to have been led by Biris Norte, a group of Sevilla’s ultra fans, who had said before the match that they would oppose Solomon’s appearance in Nervión, the neighborhood of Sevilla where matches take place.
Following the game, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain condemned the “intolerable insults” during the game.
“Today more than ever, we stand with Manor, remembering that diversity enriches sport and makes it greater,” FJCE said in a statement. “Hate and discrimination have no place in sport or society; football must always be a space of respect, passion, and unity, regardless of nationality or beliefs.”
The incident was the latest in a string of anti-Israel protests at sporting events in Spain in recent weeks. Earlier in September, protesters disrupted the Vuelta a España cycling grand tour and cut its final stage short, in opposition to an Israeli team.
