Unsuitable chants directed at Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio caused the game to pause for many minutes shortly before halftime in the tense and uncertain Copa del Rey semifinal first leg between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid.
Dani Ceballos notified referee Sánchez Martínez to the chanting originating from a part of the Reale Arena audience, alerting him to the issue. The official then went to Vinicius Jr., the captain, to inform him that he would be triggering the procedure and announcing both benches.
Play was consequently completely stopped, and Sánchez Martínez went to both teams’ technical areas to alert coaches, security guards, and field delegates about the chanting occurrences.
As part of the process, a clear warning was shown on the stadium screens: “No to slogans that are racist, xenophobic, and intolerant. Respect the opposition while rooting for your team. A warning was sent over the stadium’s public address system in response to this.
Chants aimed at Asencio prompted the disturbance; according to sources, several local fans sang “Asencio, muérete” (Asencio, die) over and over. In addition, every time the defender touched the ball, the fans booed him loudly.
Real Sociedad supporters applauded each of the player’s errors and roared when he was sent off for challenging Barrene. After the warning and the delay, the game continued without any more incidents until halftime, during which the home crowd continued to jeer.
