Explained: Why Barcelona didn't wear anti-racism shirt before La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid
Prior to their match against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona notably refrained from donning the anti-racism jerseys. The anti-racism jerseys were prepared as part of La Liga's push to combat discrimination in Spanish football after Real Madrid midfielder Vinicius Junor was subject to racist taunts.
Due to a sponsorship conflict though, Barca chose not to participate in the campaign.
According to Cadena Cope (via Football Espana), the Blaugrana have an agreement with the video game company Konami. The gaming giants' are competitors with EA Sports', who sponsor La Liga. The anti-racism shirts would have included the EA Sports logo, which might infringed on the contract Barcelona have with Konami.
Racial abuse in La Liga is a severe issue, particularly when it involves Vinicius Junior. Atletico Madrid fans referred to him as a "chimpanzee" ahead of their clash against Inter Milan. Barcelona fans were also seen doing something similar ahead of their own UEFA Champions League game against Napoli.
The situation at both stadiums led Real Madrid to release a statement, calling for a zero-tolerance approach (via the club's official website):
"Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate against our player Vinicius Junior, which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time."
The statement continued:
"Our club will continue working hard to uphold the values of football and sport as a whole, and will remain steadfast in the fight for a zero-tolerance approach to the types of despicable incidents we have seen on multiple occasions in recent times."
Barcelona secure a strong win against Atletico Madrid
Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday (March 17), as they continued the chase for the La Liga title, with Real Madrid sitting eight points ahead. While Atletico labored the whole game, the Blaugrana were effective and clinical, punishing their hosts to snatch all three points.
Ahead of the half-time whistle, it was Atletico's loanee Joao Felix who haunted his former club by scoring the opener, thanks to a Robert Lewandowski assist. Just after the break, Raphinha took advantage of a mistake and set up Lewandowski, and the Polish marksman doubled the score.
For Barcelona, Lewandowski was essential. Following his initial assist and goal, he subsequently provided an accurate cross to Fermin Lopez, who scored in the 65th minute with a bullet header.
Late in the match, Atletico Madrid made a valiant effort to score but it was not enough as the Blaugrana have moved up to second place.