Minister demands forcefulness and sanctions for racist insults to Vini Jr

O Minister of Consumer Affairs of SpainAlberto Garzón, demanded from La Liga a “strong response” and “sanctions” for the racist insults that the Brazilian Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid striker, received from Valencia fans at the Mestalla stadium.

In an interview with Radio Cable’s “La Cafetera” program, Garzón declared that “racism is very much inoculated in specific parts of the supporters” and he referred especially to supporters “with a very defined ideological perimeter of the radical right”.

Garzón also opined that the institutions must guarantee the proper functioning of football and sport and, therefore, asked that they be blunt with this type of case.

Specifically, the minister demanded that the League be especially forceful “with sanctions and new designs so that this does not happen again.”

The Valencia Public Prosecutor’s Office opened this Monday an ex-officio investigation process for an alleged hate crime for the insults to the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid striker, in yesterday’s game against Valencia, according to sources from the Attorney General’s Office of Spain. .

As Susana Gisbert, the delegated prosecutor for hate crimes at the Valencia provincial attorney’s office, explained to EFE, this decision was taken after what happened yesterday at the Mestalla stadium and by decision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which at the moment is not processing any complaint for these facts.

The procedure now, he added, will consist of collecting information about the incident from all available sources, including videos published on social networks, any police information and even the match summary, among others.

The investigation will address both what happened before the game and during the reception of the players at Avenida de Suecia, as well as during the match, detailed the hate crimes section of the provincial prosecutor’s office.

Previously, Real Madrid announced in a statement that it would appeal to the State Attorney General’s Office as a private accusation after filing a complaint with the Public Ministry for hate crimes and discrimination, so that the racist insults against the Brazilian can be investigated.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea reported in the summary of the game between Real Madrid and Valencia that “a spectator” called Vinícius Júnior a “monkey” and that for this reason he activated the racism protocol, notifying the field delegate to make the corresponding announcement through the system Mestalla stadium sound system.

The match was stopped for about eight minutes until the said announcement was broadcast over the stadium’s loudspeaker system.