Fan arrested for alleged racist abuse aimed at Kylian Mbappé

A fan has been arrested for allegedly making racist gestures and noises aimed at Kylian Mbappé during Real Madrid's game at Real Oviedo last month, Spain's National Police have confirmed.

Madrid won the match at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere 3-0 on Aug. 24, with Mbappé scoring twice.

On Wednesday, police said that an individual had been identified making monkey sounds and gestures, after analysing TV footage of the crowd's reaction to Mbappé's 37th-minute opening goal.

LaLiga reported the incident after the game, and the fan has now been detained and questioned, and the case passed on to hate crime prosecutors.

The offence can carry a punishment of up to three years in prison, as well as a fine of between €60,000 and €650,000 ($70,000 and $762,000) and a stadium ban.

LaLiga has taken a more proactive stance on tackling racist incidents inside stadiums in recent seasons, in particular following the abuse aimed at Vinícius Júnior at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium in 2023, over which three fans were handed prison sentences.

Earlier this month, an Espanyol fan was convicted of a hate crime for racially abusing Athletic Club's Iñaki Williams in January 2020, in what was the first such case reported by the league to the authorities.

ESPN has contacted LaLiga for further comment.