Mestalla in the spotlight: La Liga tackles heated chants aimed at Mbappe and Arbeloa

Mestalla incident prompts La Liga response

La Liga condemned abusive chants directed at Kylian Mbappe, the Real Madrid star, and coach Álvaro Arbeloa by Valencia fans during their domestic clash.

Real Madrid left Mestalla with a 2-0 win on Sunday, narrowing the gap with Barcelona to one point in the standings.

La Liga's weekly report on violence flagged the taunts as part of ongoing concerns about stadium abuse and urged stronger measures to curb violence in football.

The league's official statement cited chants heard in the Gol Sur and Mario Alberto Kempes sections around the 55th minute, where supporters allegedly aimed insults at Mbappe for about eight seconds.

Three minutes later, the same group reportedly chanted for about ten seconds at Arbeloa, referencing a sarcastic remark once made by Gerard Piqué.

These taunts come about a year after five Valencia fans were jailed for racist abuse toward Vinícius Júnior during a 2022 Valencia–Real Madrid match.

Vinícius Júnior missed Sunday’s match due to suspension, avoiding the usual Mestalla inferno for the moment.

La Liga says it receives reports and complaints from fans attending matches and reiterates its long-standing demand for broader powers to combat violence in football.

Punchline 1: Even the ball looked away, clearly offended by the crowd’s sense of humor.

Punchline 2: If football had a warranty, the warranty would expire in extra time, because drama never dies on the pitch.