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Rüdiger Racially Abused after Real Madrid’s Game in Cadiz

Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger, center, and Cadiz's Fede San Emeterio, left, challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga match between Cadiz CF and Real Madrid at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium in Cadiz, Spain, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger, center, and Cadiz's Fede San Emeterio, left, challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga match between Cadiz CF and Real Madrid at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium in Cadiz, Spain, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
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Rüdiger Racially Abused after Real Madrid’s Game in Cadiz

Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger, center, and Cadiz's Fede San Emeterio, left, challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga match between Cadiz CF and Real Madrid at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium in Cadiz, Spain, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)
Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger, center, and Cadiz's Fede San Emeterio, left, challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga match between Cadiz CF and Real Madrid at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium in Cadiz, Spain, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger was racially abused by fans after the team's game at Cadiz in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Video posted by Spanish media on Sunday showed Cadiz fans yelling insults at Rüdiger after he went to the stands to give away his shirt to someone who appeared to be a Madrid supporter. Objects were also thrown at the German defender, who is Black.

Rüdiger exchanged a few words with some of the fans yelling at him before giving his shirt away and saluting some of the supporters. Two people who appeared to be members of Madrid's staff came over to lead the player away from the fans.

The incident happened after Madrid's 2-0 win against relegation-threatened Cadiz.

Spanish football has been marred by racism this season, with Rüdiger's teammate Vinícius Júnior having been targeted during several matches.

Earlier this month, the Brazilian forward testified against a Mallorca fan who was accused of calling him a monkey during a match. The same fan was also accused of insulting Villarreal midfielder Samu Chukwueze in another league match.

The Spanish league has filed several formal complaints to authorities over insults against Vinícius, with some of them having already being shelved. The league also recently increased the number of monitors at Madrid matches to identify perpetrators.

Valladolid recently suspended 12 season-ticket holders while investigating alleged verbal abuse of Vinícius.

The first trial against a fan who racially abused a player in Spain is expected to begin this year following remarks by an Espanyol supporter against Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams a few years ago.

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War in Gaza ‘Hurts My Whole Body’, Says Man City Boss Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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War in Gaza ‘Hurts My Whole Body’, Says Man City Boss Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said the war in Gaza "hurts my whole body" as he delivered an emotional speech while being honored by the University of Manchester.

Guardiola, 54, was speaking as he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester on Monday.

"It's so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts my whole body," Guardiola said in excerpts of his speech shared on social media.

"Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbor."

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza after the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable.

"Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore, it's not our business," Guardiola.

"Yes, fine, we can think about that, it's not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four or five-year-old kids will be ours.

"Sorry, but I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina when I see every morning, since the nightmare started, the infants in Gaza, and I'm so scared."

Guardiola has not shied away from voicing political views in the past, throwing his weight behind the campaign for Catalan independence.

He was awarded the honorary degree by the University of Manchester for his unprecedented success at City, where he has won six Premier League titles, as well as his work through his family foundation, the Guardiola Sala Foundation.

The organization takes part in "established projects which strive to support the most disadvantaged".

Others within football have spoken out on Gaza.

In October 2023, Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah called on "world leaders to come together to "prevent further slaughter of innocent souls".

The following month Bundesliga club Mainz sacked Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi, now at Cardiff, over social media posts related to the conflict.