La Liga has issued a statement denouncing the use of homophobic slurs following a series of chants aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo by Barcelona fans during Real Madrid's latest El Clasico fixture.
The statement outlines clearly that the Spanish league will issue a report to the Spanish government's committee against violence, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance in sport, referring specifically to anti-gay chants overheard during a moment of silence for Johan Cruyff before kick-off at the Camp Nou.
Ronaldo, who scored the winning goal in Madrid's 2-1 win over Barcelona, was the subject of those chants, which drew the ire of Spanish LGBT rights organizations like StopLGBTfobia.
"For months, Ronaldo is the continuous object of insults and malintentioned rumours in the tabloid and sensationalist press, but also from sports reporters, players and fans of rival teams, with the goal of humiliating, offending and denigrating a great player," StopLGBTfobia director Francisco Ramirez said in a statement, as quoted by ESPN FC.
"It is evident that the use of sexual orientation as a weapon has the objective of insulting and degrading."
