Real Madrid Star Vinicius Junior Calls for Action on Racism in Spanish Football

May 26, 2023 

Brazilian professional footballer and Real Madrid star, Vinicius Junior is calling for action against racism in football and particularly in Spanish football after suffering consistent attacks on the pitch. The situation reached a peak after a match between Real Madrid and Valencia last Sunday, where Vinicius suffered racial abuse by a stadium fans and was later sent off following a red card. Since then, he has released a statement outlining his experiences in La Liga and urging those in power to take real action. 

Vinicius was targeted by racist chants from Valencia fans at Mestalla stadium in Spain. The game was stopped in the second half for ten minutes as Vinicius pointed out to the referree crowd members shouting out its abuse at him. He was later sent off with a red card that was overturned on Wednesday. Following an investigation, the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee (CC) hit Valencia with a partial stadium ban for five matches and a fine of €45,000 (£39,100; $48,500).  

This wasn’t an isolated incident as Vinicius has been publicly racially abused multiple times this season. In January, he was hung in effigy from a bridge in Madrid with the words “Madrid hates Real.” On Tuesday, Spanish police stated that they had arrested four people suspected of the incident.

Following the match, Vinicius tweeted: “It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it's normal, the Federation does too and the opponents encourage it. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists...” 

The football community and world have publicly shown their support for the 22-year-old footballer and condemnation of the Spanish league La Liga for sitting back. FIFA president Gianni Infantino told the league to “stop talking, start acting” and demanded five points to be given to improve the situation, as well as education in schools around discrimination and banning those found guilty of racism from stadiums worldwide.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, also spoke out against the incident on social media following the club’s hate crime complaint of the incident: “Today has been a sad day at Mestalla, where a group of fans have shown their worst version. It is time to stop talking and act forcefully. Racism has no place in football or in society. NO TO RACISM ANYWHERE.” 

In response to the backlash La Liga, has stated that it will request “more sanctioning powers” so that it can penalize incidents of racism in Spanish football. The league’s conduct of the incident over the weekend received criticism after the La Liga President, Javier Tebas responded to Vinicius on Twitter and accused him of failing to appear twice at arranged meetings regarding his complaints. 

Responding to this Vinicius said: "Once again, instead of criticizing racists, the president of La Liga appears on social media to attack me...Omitting yourself only makes you equal to racists. I want actions and punishments." The footballer took to Instagram to post a video compiling all the incidents of racist abuse and dates of the matches along with a statement ending with “It’s not football, it’s inhuman.”

Under Spanish law, La Liga can currently only identify and report cases of abuse and racism but not impose sanctions. The league plans to make a formal request to the Spanish government to amend two laws to allow for sanctions like financial penalties, partial closure of stadiums and bans for supporters to be imposed.

However, this route again hasn’t been a sufficient stance against racism and abuse. Beyond Sport Board Member Kely Nascimento, who is also Brazilian and the daughter of late football legend Pelé, is also calling for action. In a social media video, she stated, “There’s no point imposing fines because these teams have money, it’s not enough to see tweets from presidents of federations and football governing organizations that say ‘we’re together’... I propose that FIFA, along with my family, take concrete and substantive action to fight racism in football in honor of my father's memory. Our players don’t deserve it and football doesn’t deserve it!” 

Source: BBC, Sporting News