Vinícius Júnior deserves better
No one has dealt with racism in soccer as much as Vinícius Júnior. has recently. There are numerous examples now where the young Brazilian has had to deal with targeted racist chants. He has responded to them positively in the past, but it is hard to stay positive and focus on soccer when the racist attacks just keep coming. Vinícius Júnior deserves better and more action is needed to help eliminate racism in Spanish soccer.
Most Recent Instance:
Real Madrid’s matchup with Valencia last Sunday was stopped for over 10 minutes after racist chants had been directed toward Vini Jr. He identified the fans behind the goal and referee Ricardo De Burgos activated La Liga’s anti-racism protocol. This protocol stops play and warns fans that any further racist comments would result in the game being suspended.
Although he initially did not want to continue, Vini Jr. did agree to finish the game. He was then given a controversial red card in the 97th minute following an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro. The red card has since been rescinded.
Não foi a primeira vez, nem a segunda e nem a terceira. O racismo é o normal na La Liga. A competição acha normal, a Federação também e os adversários incentivam. Lamento muito. O campeonato que já foi de Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano e Messi hoje é dos racistas. Uma nação…
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 21, 2023
The Reaction:
Following the game, Vinícius Júnior took to social media to voice his anger at the racism he has encountered this season.
“It wasn’t the first time, or the second, or the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” Vinicíus posted on Instagram. “The competition thinks it’s normal, the [Spanish Football] Federation does too, and opponents encourage it.
Via ESPN
Manager Carlo Ancelotti also commented after the game, arguing the red card was unfair and that more needs to be done to protect players such as Vinícius Júnior.
“What happened here today shouldn’t happen. … There’s something bad happening in this league,” said Ancelotti.
Support from Real Madrid players and fans and from around the world has quickly flooded in. The lights usually displayed on Christ the Redeemer in Brazil were even turned off for an hour Monday night to show support for the Real Madrid winger.
La Liga’s Incompetence:
Out of all the support Vini Jr. received following the incident, there was one glaring figure missing from the list.
La Liga president Javier Tebas refused to acknowledge Vinícius’s comments following the game. Instead, he refuted Vinícius’s claim.
“Neither Spain nor La Liga are racist,” Tebas said. “It is very unfair to say that. At La Liga we denounce and tackle racism with all the toughness within our powers.”
Genius, Tebas. When there is actual evidence of racist behavior in your league, you choose to deny it? Furthermore, you try to act like La Liga immediately shuts down racist behavior, even though you have now admitted that the league has registered nine complaints about racist abuse directed specifically towards Vini Jr. during this season?
Shockingly, this tactic did not work for La Liga. Tebas is now retreating and trying to claim that he misunderstood Vinicíus Júnior’s response after the game. How someone could possibly misunderstand Vinícius is beyond me, and Tebas is rightfully being criticized for his handling of the situation.
La Liga’s and the Spanish Football Federation’s response has shown their ineptitude at handling and caring about racism in Spanish soccer. Outraged fans are continuing to back Vinícius Júnior, and La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation are now scrambling.
Punishments:
Three Valencia fans were arrested for racist behavior following the game with Real Madrid on Sunday. In addition, four Atletico Madrid fans were arrested for hanging an effigy of Vinícius Júnior off of a bridge back in January. Both of these incidents are being treated as hate crimes.
The stand behind the goal where the Valencia fans committed their racist chants will also be closed for three games.
What Happens Next:
While it is good that the individuals who committed these terrible acts are being punished, more is needed from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation. Even though Tebas is now petitioning the Spanish government to amend laws that will give La Liga more power to impose total or partial closures of stadiums, bans for supporters and financial penalties for racist actions, it still feels disingenuous.
When one of your star players has been racially abused all season and calls out this egregious behavior, you don’t try and deny it, especially when you know it has been happening.
While steps are now being made, the reality is, Vinícius Júnior deserves better. There is no way that a player should be receiving the type of abuse he has had to put up with this season. La Liga, the Spanish Football Federation and the Spanish government need to do more to solve this problem.
What’s next for Vinícius Jr is unclear. There are rumors that he will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. I would not blame him one bit if he does.
La Liga used to be the best league in the world where all the stars wanted to play. Now, it is known for its racist fans and its failure to solve the problem.
Do better, La Liga.
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