Police have arrested seven men over alleged racist incidents against Real Madrid soccer player Vinícius Júnior, as Spain’s main soccer league called for changes to Spanish law that would allow it to take action to combat racism in stadiums.
Key points:
- Four men arrested after an inflatable effigy wearing Vinícius Júnior’s No.20 jersey was hanged from a bridge in Madrid
- Three men were arrested in Valencia for racist behavior towards the winger during a match
- Brazil condemned the incidents and turned off the lights of the Christ the Redeemer statue
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has expressed his support for Vinícius Júnior, who he hoped would stay at the club.
He slammed Spain’s “outdated” protocols to tackle racism in sport and said he would consider removing his players from the field if they were to be abused again during a match.
A hate crime investigation has been launched after an inflatable effigy wearing winger Vinícius’ No.20 shirt was hung from a bridge outside the club’s training ground.
Next to it was a 16-metre red and white banner – in the colors of rival team Atletico Madrid – which read “Madrid hates Real”.
Four men were arrested in Madrid, police said, three of whom were members of a “radical group of supporters of a Madrid club”, who had previously been flagged at matches as being “high risk” in order to help reduce violence at matches.
Three men were also arrested in Valencia for racist behavior towards Vinícius during a match between Valencia and Real Madrid, police said on Twitter.
The arrests come a day after football federation chief Luis Rubiales said Spanish football had a racism problem, following a racial crime complaint filed by Real Madrid.
After insults were directed at the Brazilian star during a Spanish league match on Sunday, Vinícius, in a social media post, called the racist abuse “inhumane” and called on sponsors and broadcasters to hold La Liga to account.
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Videos posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed hundreds of Valencia fans chanting “Vinícius is a monkey” as the Real Madrid bus arrived at the Valencia stadium before the match.
La Liga, which came under pressure to do more after Brazil’s president, FIFA, and sports stars such as French striker Kylian Mbappé, Rio Ferdinand and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton expressed support for Vinícius, said in a statement on Tuesday that it felt “powerless” to tackle the problem while Spanish law limited its actions to simply detecting and reporting racist incidents.
La Liga has listed a number of incidents against black players, including nine against Vinícius, which have not been brought to trial due to insufficient evidence, and has called for the law to be changed so that it can do so.
“La Liga is extremely frustrated by the lack of sanctions and convictions from sports disciplinary bodies, public administrations and courts and the jurisdictional bodies to which complaints are filed,” it said in a statement.
Vinícius expressed frustration that La Liga had not put pressure on the Spanish football federation, which has the power to enforce stadium closures and bans, according to sources close to the player.
The federation can cancel a match if racist insults persist after a 10-minute period during which play is paused and the crowd warned. To date, no match in Spain has required it.
Brazil condemns “racist attacks”
Brazil condemned the “racist attacks” to which Vinícius was repeatedly subjected in Spain and called on the Spanish government and sports authorities to punish those involved, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry summoned the Spanish ambassador to explain the situation following the latest incident on Sunday.
Christ the Redeemer turned off its lights to condemn “racist attacks” against the Brazilian football star. (Reuters: Pilar Olivares)
“Given the seriousness of the facts and the occurrence of a new unacceptable episode, the Brazilian government deeply regrets that, until now, effective measures have not been taken to prevent and avoid the repetition of these acts of racism,” the statement said.
The iconic Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro was extinguished on Monday evening in a sign of solidarity with the Real Madrid striker.
“The Archdiocesan Shrine of Christ the Redeemer rejects the racist attacks suffered by Brazilian player Vinícius Júnior,” the organization said in a message posted on Instagram.
“The lighting of the monument will be turned off as a symbol of the collective fight against racism and in solidarity with the player and all those who experience prejudice around the world.”
The 22-year-old Brazil international later posted a photo of the statue silhouetted against the moon on Twitter and expressed his gratitude for the support he had received.
“Black and imposing. Christ the Redeemer was like that earlier. An action of solidarity that moved me. But above all I want to inspire and shed more light on our struggle,” he wrote.
Brazil’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Maria Laura da Rocha, said she was surprised by the repeated racist attacks against the player.
“Vinícius Júnior received a red card for not having endured all this. The red card should have been given to racism,” she said during a seminar on Brazil’s relations with African countries.
Reuters
