A La Liga match between Espanyol and Elche was briefly halted Sunday when referee Iosu Galech Apezteguia activated the anti-racism protocol. The stoppage occurred around the 80th minute after Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused Elche forward Rafa Mir of making racial slurs toward him. The game paused for approximately three minutes while officials addressed the allegation.

El Hilali told the referee that Mir used derogatory terms related to immigrants during the match. This incident follows a similar stoppage in the Champions League just two weeks prior, when Vinícius Júnior accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a racial slur. Prestianni denied the accusation and received a provisional one-match suspension from UEFA.

Despite the interruption, the match concluded in a 2-2 draw. Mir converted a 90th-minute penalty to secure a point for Elche, extending both teams' winless streaks. Elche remains just outside the relegation zone in 17th place without a win in 10 matches, while seventh-place Espanyol has gone nine consecutive league games without a victory.