Real Madrid fans filmed burning Morocco flag before Champions League win over Inter Milan

Videos circulating on social media appear to show supporters near the Santiago Bernabeu chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans and burning a Morocco flag before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Inter Milan.

The footage, reported by French outlet RMC, shows a group of people allegedly chanting messages encouraging hatred and violence against Jewish people and Muslims before Tuesday evening’s game in the opening round of the competition’s league phase.

Real Madrid won the match 2-1.

The incidents reportedly went beyond the chants. Some supporters were also filmed setting fire to images of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as well as a Moroccan flag, in the area around the stadium.

The scenes have emerged as Spain, Morocco and Portugal prepare to host the 2030 World Cup. Debate remains ongoing over which country will stage the tournament’s final.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, some of the political chanting continued inside the Santiago Bernabeu. Supporters reportedly displayed messages connected to Ceuta, the Spanish city on the North African coast, while banners supporting the city were also distributed.

One banner read: “¡CEUTA NO SE VENDE, CEUTA SE DEFIENDE!”

The events are linked in the report to a migration crisis affecting the region since the end of July. That issue has become a highly contentious subject in Spanish politics.

Real Madrid has not issued an official statement about the incidents surrounding the match.

The club banned the Ultras Sur group from entering the Santiago Bernabeu more than a decade ago. That decision followed the group’s previous association with incidents involving violence and racism, as well as the use of symbols linked to neo-Nazism.

Racism remains a continuing problem in Spanish football, both inside and outside stadiums, with comparable incidents reported repeatedly in recent years.

The allegations before the Inter Milan match have prompted renewed scrutiny of the behaviour of supporters around major fixtures, particularly at a time when Spain is preparing to play a central role in the 2030 World Cup.

A separate headline circulated alongside the report asked how Jose Mourinho was dealing with a new Real Madrid problem after the side scored twice from 15 chances. No further details about that issue were provided in the article.

The videos were shared online and attributed to events before the game, but the article did not report any arrests or disciplinary action connected with the chants, the burning of the flag or the images of Pedro Sanchez. Real Madrid had also not publicly commented by the time of publication.