VILLARREAL: Barcelona defender Dani Alves responded to a racist taunt on Sunday in a game at Villarreal by picking up a banana that landed at his feet, peeling and then eating it before proceeding to take a corner kick.
Alves said after the match that humour is the best way to combat racism in sports.
”We have suffered this in Spain for some time,” Alves said. ”You have to take it with a dose of humor. We aren’t going to change things easily.
”If you don’t give it importance, they don’t achieve their objective.”
Alves has often been subjected to racist taunts and called fighting racism ”a lost war” in January 2013, after segments of Real Madrid’s fans abused him with monkey chants during a match.
During the match, Alves had already played a key part in sparking his team’s 3-2 comeback when his off-target shot was turned into an own goal Gabriel Armando in the 65th.
And shortly after the banana incident, Alves launched a cross that Mateo Musacchio headed into his own goal in the 78th before Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s winner.
The win kept Barcelona four points from league leader Atletico Madrid. (AP)
