The head of Spain’s football federation stated on Monday that the country has a “problem” with racism, which came a day after Real Madrid’s striker Vinicius Junior was once again the focus of racist chanting during a match. Vinicius Junior is from Brazil and plays forward for Real Madrid.
Luis Rubiales, the president of the federation, was speaking to reporters at the organization’s offices outside Madrid when he said, “We have a problem. We must first recognize that we have a problem of behavior, of education, and of racism.”
“As long as there is just one supporter, a single undesirable, or group of undesirables who hurl insults over someone’s sexual orientation, or skin color, we have a serious problem,” said the person. “We have a serious problem.”
In La Liga, Vinicius has been the target of several instances of racial harassment and abuse. The most recent incident took place at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia while the home team was competing in a match that they won 1-0.
Vinicius took a position in front of the spectators behind the goal and pointed in the direction of the person who appeared to be responsible for the delay in play that occurred in the second half.
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. During the extra time at the end of the match, Vinicius was sent a red card for making contact with Hugo Duro, who was playing for Valencia.