Authorities seek to respond to racism against Vini Jr. – 05/23/2023 – Sport

Criticized for their passivity in the face of cases of racism in football, Spanish authorities tried this Tuesday (23) to respond to the world with arrests and requests for changes in legislation. With demonstrations against racial discrimination, players returned to the field for the Spanish Championship, after the offenses suffered last Sunday (21) by Vinicius Junior.

Seven fans were arrested on Tuesday (23) by police in Spain. All are suspected of racist chants against the Brazilian who plays for Real Madrid. Three of them, young people aged between 18 and 21, were interrogated and released hours later.

Those released were pointed out as responsible for the discrimination against the player in the match held in Valencia, last Sunday (21).

In a statement, the police said they had the help of Real Madrid’s rival club in the investigations, which remain open “to identify other possible perpetrators”.

Vinicius Junior complained about being insulted and called a “monkey” during the game between Real and Valencia, which was interrupted by the arbitration. These attacks led the Public Prosecutor’s Office to open an investigation into “hate crime”, a criminal category that, in Spain, includes racial crimes.

After confusion on the field with opponents, he was expelled. This Tuesday, the Royal Spanish Federation annulled the red card. This frees him to take the field this Wednesday (24), when Real Madrid faces Rayo Vallecano.

The organization also decided to close the Mario Kempres tribune, at the Mestalla stadium, for five rounds, where most of the racist offenses came from. Valencia were fined 45,000 euros (R$ 241,000 at current prices).

In addition to the three fans released by the police, four others are still being held. They are part of an investigation into a doll wearing the striker’s uniform hanging from a Madrid bridge at the end of January this year.

Three are “active members of a radical group of Atletico Madrid fans”, says a statement released by the Spanish police.

The dummy was placed to simulate a hanging after Real’s 3-1 victory in the capital’s derby in the quarter-finals of the King’s Cup. Next to it was a banner with the phrase “Madrid hates Real”.

A list produced by LaLiga itself points out that Vinicius Junior has been the target of at least nine racist attacks for the national tournament since he arrived at Real Madrid in 2018. Most cases continue without fans identified or punished.

Ahead of Wednesday’s La Liga games, teams held up protest banners calling for racism to be banished from football.

The same message was displayed in the clashes between Real Valladolid vs Barcelona, ​​Celta de Vigo vs Girona and Real Sociedad vs Almería.

Even Valencia players showed solidarity with the Brazilian. The American Yunus Munsah wrote on his social networks that “if you are racist against him, you are racist against me”, referring to the striker.

The banners shown by the athletes, which had a championship sponsor logo, is yet another action by the league itself to try to soften the criticism it received after the incident.

Vinicius returned to post on the subject to remind that the offenses received were not isolated acts. He showed, on his Instagram account, images of racist messages directed at defender Roberto Carlos in a Real match against Barcelona, ​​at Camp Nou, in 1997.

The repercussion of the case and the pressure made the Spanish authorities sympathize with the attacker. The Ministry of Racial Equality, from Brazil, and the Ministry of Equality, from Spain, published a joint note.

“The referred agreement is based on the fact that racism is structural in our societies and that events like the one that occurred in Valencia are not isolated events, but are deeply rooted in society”, says the joint text of the folders.

LaLiga, responsible for organizing the Spanish Championship, will ask for more powers to take action against clubs and fans accused of discrimination.

In a note published on its website, the organization that organizes the club championship in Spain says it is “frustrated” at not being able to impose more severe punishments.

“Faced with this serious situation, in the next few days LaLiga will formally request that the law be amended (…) against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport”, says the published text.

She wants to have the power to sanction clubs with the total or partial closure of stadiums, the banning of fans involved in cases of racism and the imposition of economic sanctions “without prejudice to the adoption of provisional or precautionary measures that may proceed given the nature and seriousness of the facts”.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas had downplayed racism against Vinicius Junior and said he would not allow the Brazilian player to tarnish the image of the tournament.