Spanish La Liga side Villarreal said Friday they will close part of their stadium for a Europa League match in an anti-racism gesture after one of their fans threw a banana at Barcelona’s Dani Alves.
The club will close part of the stands in its El Madrigal stadium for the Europa League qualifier in late August in a gesture of respect over the racist incident which put Spanish football on the spot.
“For this match Villarreal will close off the area where the incident occurred involving a fan and Dani Alves,” the club said in a statement. “With this gesture it will send a resounding message against racism and xenophobia, making very clear once again the club’s position on this type of incident.”
A big banner reading “No to racism” will be placed in the closed-off area, the statement said, reiterating club president’s apology for the banana incident.