'Dumb people are everywhere' - Nico Williams reveals he heard 'monkey noises' during Athletic Club's clash with Atletico Madrid as La Liga action marred by another racist incident

The Spain international alleged he heard monkey chants from a section of the home fans and he went on to describe them as "dumb people". The match - which Atletico Madrid won 3-1 - had to be temporarily halted owing to the racist attacks before resuming action a couple of minutes later.

Williams came up with a perfect statement to combat racism as he scored the equaliser at the stroke of half-time - thereby cancelling out Rodrigo De Paul's 15th-minute strike - and celebrated by pointing his finger at his skin.

Speaking to Marca after the match, Williams said: "I went to take the corner and I heard monkey sounds. There was a few of them. These dumb people are everywhere. I hope that this will change little by little. I celebrated like that with anger. It’s not normal to be insulted because of your skin colour."

Racism has been a serious problem in La Liga over the last few years with several players being targeted. Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior is among those to have been deeply affected by the issue and even broke down while speaking about countering racism during a press conference last month.