As a response to the racist abuse that Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior received, Spanish football manager Pep Guardiola has urged Spanish football to follow the example set by the Premier League in the battle against racism.
Vinicius, a winger for Brazil’s Real Madrid football team, was verbally insulted by supporters during the team’s game against Valencia in the La Liga last week. Vinicius responded by saying that Spain “belongs to racists” following the incident.
It is not the first time that Vinicius has been the target of racist behavior, and the most recent episode has prompted considerable condemnation of the culture of Spanish football as well as the manner that their authorities deal with the problem.
The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, is of the opinion that the Premier League has served as an example to the rest of the football world with their “strict” response to any outbreaks of racial abuse.
When asked if Spain could learn anything from the manner that English football has dealt with racism since the terrible days of the 1980s, Guardiola responded, “They should.” The rules around here are really stringent. They are aware of the requirements placed on them.
Despite the fact that there have been a significant number of racist occurrences in recent years involving the sport of soccer in Spain, Guardiola is aware that the problem is not exclusive to the country in which he was born.
“It should come as no surprise that racism is an issue not only in one location but worldwide. For all generations and in all places, he added, there are those who hold the belief that they are superior to their neighbors and that they are superior to those who come after them.
“Not only in regard to gender, but also with race and mentality. We feel that our native tongue is superior to the other one, just as we believe that our nation is superior to the other one.
“We need to accept the diversity as a strength, and still right now, we are still far away from that.”
Guardiola, a former manager at Barcelona who also played for the Catalan giants for more than a decade, is concerned that it will be difficult to totally eradicate racism from La Liga.
“I’m not hopeful, but I’m hoping this is just the first step toward things being better in Spain. He remarked, “I know a little bit about the country, and based on what I know, I’m not really optimistic.”
“There are a lot of individuals of African descent who are coming up to defend something that they shouldn’t have to defend.
“I certainly hope that justice will be able to help us do it, but at the same time, is anything going to change in Spain as a result of this?”