Real Madrid fans plan protest against Sergio Ramos; club directors forced to intervene

What's the story?

A section of Real Madrid fans has decided to hold a protest against the club's players, and defender and captain Sergio Ramos in particular.

In case you didn't know...

Sunday witnessed El Clasico without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the first time since 2007.

The absence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winners, however, did nothing to dull down the excitement of the game as Barcelona went on to thrash Real Madrid 5-1 at the Camp Nou.

Goals from Arturo Vidal and former Liverpool players Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez helped the Catalan giants to the win.

The defeat led Los Blancos to sack their manager Julen Lopetegui on Monday.

During the game, Real players and Sergio Ramos, in particular, were subjected to an array of abuse by Barcelona fans. The crowd was heard chanting in the first few minutes of the game: "Sergio Ramos, hijo de puta" (Sergio Ramos, son of a *****).

The heart of the matter

The players' performances at El Clasico on Sunday, however, has prompted even Real Madrid fans to organize a protest against their own players.

According to AS, members of Grada de Animación, Real Madrid's most active fan group, have been dissatisfied with the team's recent run of form and have organized a protest against the players and Ramos in particular, for the manner in which he reprimanded Casemiro for his blunt analysis of the team's performance after the game..

The protest involves not occupying their seats at the Bernabeu when Real Madrid host Valladolid next Saturday.

This has forced club directors to set up an emergency meeting with two members of the fan group in an effort to stop the planned protest and any other actions of a similar kind by other fan groups.

The club reportedly gave the supporters a message saying, "This is the team that won the Champions League. Now that things are bad we need an active support section to get behind the side more than ever. Remaining silent is not an option".

What's next?

Real Madrid are still looking for a realistic replacement for Lopetegui even as team B coach Santiago Solari continues to guide them as interim boss. The players, on the other hand, will need to step up and deliver over the weekend to appease the fans and win back their trust.