The Spanish professional soccer world is reeling from the racial abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior (BRA) by a spectator.
The local prosecutor’s office in Valencia, Spain, announced today (Nov. 22) that it is investigating the racist attack on Vinicius as a “hate crime,” the Associated Press and BBC reported.
Vinicius was involved in an altercation with spectators who shouted racial slurs at him during a match against Valencia at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium the previous day. The game was briefly suspended while Valencia fans chanted “monkey” at him.
Fans shouted “monkey” at the player… The Brazilian president got involved
“Racism is an everyday occurrence in La Liga,” Vinicius wrote on social media after the game, “and the response of the La Liga secretariat shows that Spain is perceived as a racist country.”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also criticized the lax response of the referees, saying in a press conference that “the whole stadium was shouting racial slurs at Vinicius, calling him a monkey, but nothing happened,” and that “there is no point in talking about soccer anymore”. “If a player is racially abused during a match, the referees should stop the game immediately,” he said.
However, La Liga president Javier Tebas countered that “Vinicius was not present at the meeting to discuss how to deal with racism,” and that “before criticizing La Liga, he needs to inform himself of the situation.” The player was the victim, not the crowd who chanted racist slogans.
Valencia also stated that they “do not tolerate any racism and have identified those responsible for the behavior” and will “actively cooperate with the judicial authorities”.
“It is wrong for Ancelotti to try to brand all Valencia fans who were in the stadium at the time as racists,” the club said, adding that “he should realize his mistake and apologize for his comments.”
The incident then escalated into a diplomatic conflict, with Brazil, Vinicius’ home country, also weighing in. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Dilma Rousseff, who was attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan, addressed the issue at the closing press conference the day before.
“Vinicius is Real Madrid’s best player,” Lula said, “and it is unjust that a boy who is on his way to becoming one of the best in the world should be subjected to racist insults on the pitch.”
“Racist, doesn’t speak for Spain,” says embarrassed Spanish government
Vinicius has been the subject of several racist attacks over the years. The La Liga secretariat said it “has been proactive in responding to racism and has received nine reports to the judicial authorities in the last two years.” However, to date, no one has been punished for their behavior.
Eventually, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz issued a statement saying that “racist chants in stadiums do not represent Spain” and pledged to “continue our efforts to end racism.”안전놀이터
Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Association, also condemned the chants, saying, “Even if there is one person or a group of people in Spain who insult someone’s skin color, sexual identity, etc., it is a serious problem that stains the whole country.”
“Racism has no place in soccer and we express our full solidarity with Vinicius,” said FIFA, which reiterated its rules, stating that “if racism occurs on the pitch, the referee can stop the game.”
Racism in European soccer is far from being eradicated. Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who plays in the English Premier League, has been victimized on multiple occasions, and British law enforcement authorities have fined and banned offending spectators from stadiums indefinitely.
Article courtesy of Oh My News