Spectator arrested for throwing banana at Barcelona footballer

Unpublished
Madrid - Spanish police say they have arrested a spectator suspected of throwing a banana at Barcelona's Brazilian footballer Dani Alves last weekend. The racist incident took place as the player was about to take a corner in a match at Villarreal on Sunday.
Alves responded by peeling and eating the banana - which received praise worldwide and sparked a large social media campaign against racism. The man detained has been identified as a 26-year-old Villarreal supporter. He has been named as David Campaya Lleo, local media say. The club said earlier the man involved had had his season ticket withdrawn and been given a lifetime ban.
The Barcelona defender expressed his surprise at the outpouring of support in the wake of the banana affair. His team eventually won the match 3-2, at Villareal's El Madrigal stadium in Castellon on Spain's east coast. "I hope that this (campaign) can be an alert to ban this kind of attitude from football altogether. I hope the debate about racial prejudice will not fade away, but stays on permanently and not be restricted only to football," he added.
Reports suggest the suspect in detention may have had links to one of the Villarreal's youth teams, although the team has not commented on this. (FA)



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