Espanyol's Omar El Hilali accuses Rafa Mir of racial abuse at Elche

Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused Elche forward Rafa Mir of a racist insult during their teams' La Liga clash on Sunday, according to the referee's report.

Referee Iosu Galech Apezteguia briefly paused the match under the anti-racism protocol in the 80th minute after speaking to Morocco international El Hilali.

"El Hilali informed me that (Mir) addressed him in the following terms: 'You came here on a dinghy,' which could not be heard by any member of the refereeing team," wrote the referee in his report.

"Consequently, I proceeded to activate the anti-racism protocol, for which reason the match was stopped for three minutes."

El Hilali, born in Spain, seemed visibly upset after the incident.

Mir scored a penalty in the 90th minute to secure the hosts a 2-2 draw against Espanyol.

In October 2025 the Spanish striker, on loan at Elche from Sevilla, was indicted on sexual assault allegations.

Spanish football has struggled to deal with racism in the stands in recent years, with Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior regularly targeted.

In February Vinicius accused Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him in a Champions League game.

In May 2025, five Valladolid supporters were jailed for a year for racist insults aimed at Vinicius in 2022.

Four members of an Atletico Madrid ultra group received prison sentences for displaying an effigy of Vinicius in January 2023, though the punishment was later changed to fines.