In La Liga, the Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior has been subjected to racial slurs multiple times this season. According to him, due to the incidents, Spain is now “known as a country of racists” in his native country.
Real Madrid has filed a hate crime complaint with Spanish prosecutors after Vinicius Junior was the target of racial slurs during Valencia’s away match.
Sunday night’s match between Madrid and Valencia was halted after the halftime break when a 22-year-old Brazilian pointed out ridiculing fans to the referee.
At Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, teammates and opposing players attempted to calm down Vinicius, who had been subjected to racial slurs from the spectators on multiple occasions this season.
In added time of his team’s 1-0 loss, the Brazilian was sent off for violent conduct after an altercation with Valencia striker Hugo Duro. It was the first red card of his career.
Kylian Mbappe, a French striker, has led the messages of support for Vinicius.
He wrote in an Instagram post, “You are not alone. We stand with you and offer our support.”
After France’s loss to Argentina in last year’s World Cup final, the 24-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star himself was the target of racial slurs.
Former England and Manchester United defender and anti-racism activist Rio Ferdinand posted on Instagram: “(Vinicius) receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial slurs during the game.
“How many times must this young man be subjected to this s***?” I see pain, disgust, and the need for assistance, but the authorities do nothing to aid him.
People must unite and demand more from the governing authorities of our game.
No one merits this, and yet you permit it.
This issue requires a unified approach; otherwise, it will be swept under the rug AGAIN.
Gary Lineker, the host of Match of the Day and former England striker, tweeted in response to Vinicius Jr receiving a red card, “Once again, the player being abused is the only person punished.”
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, also expressed his support for Vinicius in a statement: “Full solidarity to Vinicius. Racism has no place in football or society, and FIFA stands in solidarity with all athletes who have experienced it.
Vinicius referenced previous incidents of discriminatory abuse in a post-match Instagram statement in which he accused Spain’s football authorities of not doing enough.
“It wasn’t the first time, second time, or third time. “Racism is commonplace in La Liga,” he stated.
“The opposition believes it to be normal, and both the Federation and the adversaries encourage it. I’m truly apologetic.”
“La Liga is owned by racists.”
Vinicius said the Spanish league, which “belonged” to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, now “belongs to the racists.”
“I apologize to the Spaniards who disagree, but today in Brazil, Spain is known as a racist country,” he added.
“Unfortunately, with everything that occurs every week, I have no means to defend myself. I concur.”
Vinicius has been accused by La Liga president Javier Tebas of missing two meetings to examine “racism cases.”
Mr. Tebas wrote, “Before criticizing and insulting La Liga, Vinicius Jr. must educate himself thoroughly.”
Vinicius responded by stating, “Once again, rather than criticizing racists, the president of La Liga uses social media to attack me.”
He further stated that he desires “actions and punishments” for bigoted chanters.
Carlo Ancelotti had previously defended his player after the match, stating that racism is “a problem” in La Liga.
The Italian stated that the match should have been suspended due to the “unacceptable” chants directed at Vinicius.
He added, “The entire stadium is insulting a player with racist chants, and the game must be stopped.”
Mr. Ancelotti also tweeted, “Today was a sad day at Mestalla, where a handful of supporters displayed their worst selves.
“It is time to cease talking and take decisive action. Racism has no place in football or society as a whole. “NEIN TO RACISM EVERYWHERE!”
However, Valencia director Javier Solis stated that Mr. Ancelotti erred in blaming all supporters for the abuse.
He stated, “In light of Mr. Ancelotti’s regrettable and wholly incorrect statements, in which he labeled all Mestalla fans as racist, the club cannot tolerate this.”
“We categorically deny these complaints. Possible a linguistic error; he must have misunderstood the word that was spoken.
“The club condemns all forms of racial slurs and is working to identify those who allegedly made a racist gesture or action, but to call all Valencia CF supporters racist is absurd, and the club cannot remain silent.”
The treatment of Vinicius at the Mestalla on Sunday was also condemned by the president of Brazil, Lula da Silva.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, he urged FIFA and La Liga to “take measures so we don’t allow racism and fascism to take over” the sport.
The president said Vinicius, one of the world’s best young players, gets “insulted in every stadium he visits.”
Club pledges to investigate
La Liga has issued a statement stating that it has “fought against this type of behavior for years.”
Valencia’s website also promised to investigate and “take the most severe measures possible.”
“Valencia CF wishes to publicly condemn any type of insult, attack, or disqualification in football,” the club’s statement continued.
Valencia moved up to 13th, but Madrid remained third, 14 points behind Barcelona. Approximately 46,000 fans attended.
Diego Lopez scored the game’s only goal in the 33rd minute for the host team.
