Barcelona defender Alves bites back at banana racism
MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona fullback Dani Alves produced the perfect riposte to a racist taunt when taking a corner kick during his team's 3-2 win at Villareal on Sunday. The Brazil international casually picked up a banana thrown from the terraces onto the pitch, peeled it and shoved it in his mouth in one fluid motion before tossing away the peel and completing the kick. Alves has previously taken a stand against racism at stadia in Spain. The 30-year-old complained of racial abuse last year after being taunted by monkey chants from sections of the crowd during a King's Cup semi-final at Real Madrid and labelled Spain's efforts to tackle the problem a "lost war". European soccer has long been blighted by racist incidents by fans and their leagues criticised for not doing enough to stamp them out.
