Abde Ezzalzouli Answers Racist Taunts in LaLiga

The team managed by Manuel Pellegrini claimed three valuable points at La Cartuja stadium after a match full of twists and turns. Following a missed penalty by Pepelu for Valencia in the 13th minute, saved by goalkeeper Álvaro Valles, the visitors took the lead in the 20th minute through Luis Rioja. Sevilla’s response was immediate, with Chimy Ávila equalizing from the penalty spot just three minutes later. The final outcome came in the 88th minute, when Pablo Fornals beat the opposing goalkeeper from a cross by Nelson Deossa.

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The celebration of the winning goal immediately caught observers’ attention. Pablo Fornals approached Abde Ezzalzouli and mimed lighting a cigarette for him. The gesture directly referred to the xenophobic insults suffered by the Moroccan international during the first-leg match at Mestalla stadium, where opposing supporters taunted him by shouting «Abde, give me a cigarette (segarro)». This expression is often used in a caricatured or derogatory way on social media to describe an approach technique—asking someone for a cigarette to distract them before a theft—implicitly attributed to foreigners.

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The Betis midfielder emphasized that while other cases of racism, particularly those targeting Real Madrid or FC Barcelona players, had resulted in sanctions against Valencia, no action had been taken over the provocations aimed at the Moroccan national team player.