Vinicius case urgent to take immediate measures

The racist abuse suffered by Brazil’s Real Madrid player Vinícius Junior at the Mestalla this Sunday, causing him to stop the game to point out the culprits, has set off a chain reaction in Spanish football, with complaints to prosecutors and a petition for emergency measures to remove the stain of racism.

It is the ninth case of racism that Vinícius has suffered this season, according to reports collected by LaLiga.

“It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in the League. The competition considers it normal, the Federation also and the rivals encourage it. I am very sorry. The championship belongs to the racists”, he wrote on his networks, in which he assured that Brazil is going to Spain as a “racist country”.

Demonstrations of solidarity with Vinicius came early and from all spheres.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned immediately and called on FIFA and LaLiga to take “serious measures” against those responsible.

“It is not fair that a poor young man who has succeeded in life and is becoming one of the best footballers should suffer this kind of attack,” he said at a press conference at the G7 summit. We cannot allow fascism and racism to take over football stadiums.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and its president Ednaldo Rodrigues have already expressed their support for Vinícius, describing what he experienced at the Mestalla as a “crime”, where the player was greeted with chants of “you’re a monkey” at the entrance to the club. several dozen fans in the stadium.

“Skin color can no longer be a problem. There is no joy where there is racism,” the leader condemned.

Big world football stars also responded quickly in a wave of affection for ‘Vina’. Rapper like his compatriot Ronaldo Nazario who wondered “until when?” The Madrid player will have to endure these acts and condemned that “as long as there is impunity and collusion, there will be racism.”

The rivalry has been forgotten, as shown by Xavi Hernández, the coach of Barcelona. “It is unfortunate that these things continue to happen in 2023. There are no shields here, this is about people and we must condemn any act of racism.”

Rio Ferdinand spoke strongly: “Brother, you need protection… who is protecting Vinny in Spain? How many times do we have to see this young man exposed to this shit? I see pain and disgust. He needs help and the authorities are not doing anything to help you.”

And current stars like the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé told ‘Vina’ that he is “not alone” in his fight, in a message sent to him by teammates in Brazil like Neymar or Lucas Paquete.

In the messages of complaints on social networks, ‘Vina’ left a mysterious end. “I’m strong and I’ll go all the way against racists. Even if it’s far from here.” In doing so, he fed the news that the player’s surroundings put before him the option of leaving Real Madrid and Spanish football. He is under contract until June 30, 2024, but the renewal deal has been completely locked up for months, despite not being officially announced.

Real Madrid responded strongly with a statement. He announced that after reporting hate crimes and discrimination, he would file a private lawsuit with the State Attorney’s Office. He showed “the most energetic rejection” and condemned the events that “represent a direct attack on the model of coexistence of our social and democratic legal state.”

“We have a serious problem of racism that is a stain on the whole country,” said Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Association. He transferred all his support to Vinícius, whose behavior on the field he considers a “grain of sand” in the “desert that is the behavior of the unwary”.

The wish is “a firm response from the RFEF”, but Rubiales claimed he has the authority to implement it. “We discovered that other football agents did not leave us. We sanctioned and they were not able to implement those sanctions.”

Meanwhile, Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, exchanged tweets with Vinícius on social media, defending the work of the body he presides over and stating that “neither Spain nor LaLiga are racist”. Of the nine reports of racist insults in the stadiums of the Spanish Primera, eight happened against Real Madrid footballers.

“We always identify lunatics and file a report with criminal authorities. No matter how few there are, we are always relentless. We cannot allow the image of a competition that is above all a symbol of unity among nations, where more than 200 black players in 42 clubs receive the respect and affection of all fans every day, and racism is an extremely specific case that we will eradicate,” he said.

The Association of Spanish Football Players (AFE), for its part, also condemned the racist insults to the State Attorney’s Office and requested that immediate measures be taken “forcibly, in the face of such serious events which, unfortunately, are not isolated”. They again request the convening of the plenary session of the Commission for the Suppression of Violence, asking the Government and the RFEF to activate the “necessary disciplinary mechanisms to act with sufficient force in relation to this type of act”.

The anti-violence commission this Monday reiterated its “absolute rejection” of racist insults by Valencia fans directed at Vinícius Júnior and recalled that it proposed sanctions of 4,000 euros, along with a one-year ban on access to sports facilities for similar events.

“The commission believes that the cooperation of the clubs is necessary when it comes to identifying the perpetrators of these horrible behaviors and also wants to convey to them the need to work on preventive efforts in the fight against violence to their hobbies in conditions of undesirable normalization. behaviors and insults that are far from good sporting order and seriously damage the image of our football and Spanish sport,” he added in a statement.