After the Real Madrid player was subjected to racist slurs yet again while playing in Spain’s La Liga, supporters of Vinicius Junior came out in force on Monday to call for action to be taken against racism.
On Sunday, the Brazilian international attacker, who is 22 years old, was attacked by a home supporter during his team’s 1-0 loss at Valencia. The supporter was eventually taken to the stands.
Vinicius, who has regularly been singled out for racial abuse in La Liga, made a statement after the incident declaring that La Liga “belongs to racists,” and other Brazilian players from the past and present voiced their support. Vinicius has been the target of racial abuse in La Liga on multiple occasions.
At a press conference held after the conclusion of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the assault, saying, “He was attacked.” He was referred to as a “monkey.”
Vinicius was seen standing in front of the spectators behind the goal and pointing in the direction of the suspected offender. During the second half, there was a pause in play that lasted for many minutes.
Before the game was restarted ten minutes later, referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea had a conversation with authorities from the stadium, who then made a statement demanding an end to racial slurs.
A spectator yelled “monkey, monkey” at the player, according to the referee’s post-match report, and the referee noted it in his report.
“The Spanish league is having issues, but Vinicius is not the cause of those issues. Vinicius was the one who was hurt. Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, has stated that there is a very severe issue.
As part of their three-step method to dealing with situations involving racial abuse, FIFA stated once again on Monday that it is OK for matches to be stopped and for players to leave the field.
“Full solidarity to Vinicius,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated in a statement. “Racism has no place in football or in society, and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The events that took place during the game between Valencia and Real Madrid demonstrate that this must remain the case.
Vinicius stated in a post he made on Instagram that people in his native country consider Spain to be “a country of racists.”
He referred to Spain as “a wonderful place. I feel bad for those Spanish citizens who have opposing views, but it is common knowledge in Brazil that Spain is a racist nation.
“Today’s victory for the bigots is that they were successful in driving me away. He stated that what was being played was not football but rather La Liga. “The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo), and Messi now belongs to racists,” Vinicius said. “The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo), and Messi now belongs to racists.”
La Liga has stated that they have been “proactive” in past situations of racism against Vinicius, in which they have filed nine complaints with competent agencies and prosecutors.
Javier Tebas, the feisty president of La Liga, fired back on Twitter, alleging that Vinicius did not show up for a meeting with the governing body on two separate times to discuss what it “can do in cases of racism.” Vinicius’s absence was cited as the reason for the meeting’s cancellation.
In a tweet, he said, “Before you criticize and slander La Liga, you need to inform yourself properly.” La Liga is the Spanish professional soccer league.
Vinicius, on the other hand, has garnered support from a wide variety of people.
“If Vini wants to keep playing, we keep playing, but if Vini says he’s not playing any more, I’m leaving the pitch with him, because we cannot tolerate these things,” stated Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper for Madrid. “If Vini wants to keep playing, we keep playing.”
“You are not alone. On Instagram, Mbappe, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, wrote: “We are with you and we support you.”
Many people in Brazil felt enraged by the situation.
The President of Brazil has issued a plea for “serious measures” to be taken by FIFA and the Spanish league. He stated this while he was in Japan, “It’s unjust that a poor kid who’s done so well in life, who may be on the way to becoming the best in the world — he’s certainly the best at Real Madrid — gets insulted at every stadium where he plays,”
Ednaldo Rodrigues, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, posted the following message on Vini Jr.’s Twitter account: “Vini Jr., you have our love and support, and that of all Brazilians.”
Real Madrid has filed a hate crime case with Spanish prosecutors because a Brazilian player was subjected to discriminatory chanting during a recent match.
“Real Madrid C.F. shows its strongest rejection and condemns the events that occurred yesterday against our player Vinicius Jr,” it said. “Real Madrid C.F. shows its strongest rejection and condemns the events.”
According to the club, the attacks “constitute a hate crime,” and the club has filed a complaint on them with the office of the State Attorney General because of this, the club claimed.
Separately, the Movement Against Intolerance (MCI) and the Association of Spanish Soccer Players (AFE) announced in a joint statement that they had also filed a complaint with the same prosecutor’s office, claiming racial remarks that were directed towards the Black player.