Prosecutors open hate crime probe into "puta Cataluña" chants at Atlético-Villarreal

The Madrid Provincial Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the "puta Barça y puta Cataluña" chants sung by a section of the Metropolitano crowd on 23 August during the LaLiga match between Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal. The Hate Crimes and Discrimination section has agreed to open preliminary proceedings to determine whether the chants could constitute a hate crime.

• The Hate Crimes and Discrimination section of the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor's Office has opened preliminary proceedings.
• The "puta Barça y puta Cataluña" chants took place at the Metropolitano on 23 August during Atlético-Villarreal.
• The investigation stems from a complaint filed in early September by the association Acció Cassandra.
• The complaint calls for identifying those responsible, gathering match recordings and reports, and examining a possible hate crime under article 510.1 of the Spanish Criminal Code.
• The chants were heard when Julián Álvarez, a player previously linked with Barcelona, came on in the 66th minute.

What happened at the Atlético de Madrid vs Villarreal match on 23 August

In the second half of the match at the Metropolitano, when Argentine forward Julián Álvarez entered the pitch in the 66th minute, a group of home fans began to chant slogans against Barcelona and Catalonia. The player had been linked with the Catalan club for months, which according to the complaint explains why the chants were directed at him with a clearly anti-Catalan tone.

The incident did not go unnoticed. The association Acció Cassandra decided to act and filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office in early September. In its written submission, the group asked for an investigation to be opened, for the people responsible for the chants to be identified, and for the television footage and the referee's and security reports from the match to be collected.

The Acció Cassandra complaint and the hate crime charge

For Acció Cassandra, the facts fit article 510.1 of the Spanish Criminal Code, which punishes public, collective and degrading expressions aimed at a group defined by its national origin. The association argues that the chants were not about the player's nationality — Julián Álvarez was born in Argentina — but about their "explicitly Catalanophobic content", in direct reference to the interest the player had attracted from Barcelona.

The complaint also cited article 22.4 of the Criminal Code, which provides for the aggravating circumstance of discrimination when acts are committed on grounds of national origin or belonging to a nation, among other motives.

Madrid prosecutors open preliminary proceedings to examine the case

The Hate Crimes and Discrimination section of the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor's Office has agreed, in a ruling dated 7 October, to examine the facts by opening formal preliminary proceedings. With this decision, the Public Prosecutor's Office has not dismissed the complaint outright and has instead opened a formal line of investigation.

Acció Cassandra has described the decision as a "relevant first legal step", confirming that the Prosecutor's Office has not immediately shelved the complaint and has instead opened a "clear formal investigation into Catalanophobia against the Catalan national minority".

Previous incidents of anti-Catalan chants in Spanish football

This is not the first time that the stands of a major Spanish stadium have witnessed expressions of this kind. In recent years, LaLiga has referred several episodes of offensive chants against Catalonia, Barcelona or Catalan national identity to the Prosecutor's Office and to disciplinary committees. In some cases, prosecutors have ended up shelving the proceedings because it was impossible to identify individual perpetrators or because the facts did not reach the criminal threshold.

What makes this procedure different is that the complaint does not come from LaLiga or from a club, but from a civil society association that places Catalanophobia at the centre of the debate. The opening of proceedings means that prosecutors have found enough indications to investigate what happened at the Metropolitano.

What could happen next for Atlético de Madrid and identified fans

The investigation is at a very early stage. The immediate aim is to identify those responsible for the chants using the audiovisual recordings of the match and the stadium's security reports. If prosecutors conclude that there is evidence of a hate crime, the case would be transferred to an investigating court, which could summon those under investigation.

On the sporting side, Atlético de Madrid could also face disciplinary measures if the relevant bodies consider that the club did not act with due diligence to prevent or stop the chants. In similar episodes, LaLiga has referred the facts to the Competition Committee and the Anti-Violence Committee, which has its own sanctioning regime for clubs and supporters.

Julián Álvarez and the origin of the chants

Julián Álvarez joined Atlético de Madrid in the summer transfer window after a long spell at Manchester City. For months, the Argentine forward was strongly linked with a move to Barcelona, an interest that ultimately never materialised. It was precisely his introduction in the 66th minute of the Atlético-Villarreal match that, according to the complaint, triggered the chants against the Catalan club and against Catalonia.