Real Madrid got their revenge on Atletico Madrid last night with a 3 - 0 Copa del Rey win.
But the result was marred by racist chanting aimed at Marcelo from the Atletico fans after the game (watch the footage here).
Our European football correspodent Graham Hunter was watching that game last night and his tweets said it all:
Brutal, horrible, disgusting monkey chants at Marcelo by the Atletico fans while he & the other Madrid subs do their warm down. Inexcusable
— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) February 5, 2014
#Marcelo just turns and looks up at them in total disgust, puzzlement and bemusement at them. Hands on hips as if to say 'you clowns'
— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) February 5, 2014
His kid comes on the pitch & runs to his arms while these fools sing "hope your dad dies". This isn't football as I know it. Rotten to core
— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) February 5, 2014
Tonight, Graham spoke to us about the chanting and the general issue of racism from a minority of football fans in Spain.
"That kind of abuse is unacceptable and beyond the pale. What we have managed to eradicate in some civilized football societies is unashamed racism. Last night I saw the single worst episode I've ever seen in my life. It felt normally to me to speak about it, to condemn it, to put a spotlight on it and try to show that the minority of idiots - and they are a minority in Spain - that the rest of the world is watching and that we will not tolerate it and will criticize it until it's addressed properly in society and football."
Former Spain manager Luis Aragones was caught up in a racism storm in 2004 when he called Thierry Henry a "negro de mierda" in an attempt to motivate the Frenchman's then-Arsenal team-mate Jose Reyes.
Aragones passed away on Saturday and Graham believes his legacy is nuanced.
"He made an indefensible mistake. He was wrong. You need to judge people before and after. If there's even a single occurrence, then you condemn and stop the understanding, the defence and the affection. Nothing of that ilk had happened to Aragones. When it happened, every black player that I knew who had worked under him said they adore the man but what he's done is reached out for a motivational tool and done the wrong thing."
Aragones was much adored by his players and "imbued Spain with a winner's mentality" as he led them to Euro 2008 victory.
"Every player that I know that knew him says that a good man is gone. And as a legacy, that's good enough for me," said Graham.
Listen to the full interview via the Off The Ball Football Show podcast.
