Police can stop games and empty stadiums to fight racism

The repercussion of the racist insults to Vinícius Júnior in the match between Valencia and Real Madrid, on May 21, resulted in an important change in the fight against discrimination in Spain. The country’s Ministry of the Interior determined that security forces will be able to interrupt matches and even empty a stadium when there are cases of racism and xenophobia. The information was released on Monday (3) by the newspaper the country.

According to the publication, the police may instruct the referee “not to start, stop or suspend a game”, temporarily or permanently, when the case of discrimination is considered “serious”. The evacuation of the site can occur if the security forces interpret the situation as being an “urgent case of public safety or serious risk”. Until the end of last season, only arbitration had the power to interrupt a match.

The new instruction will be sent in the coming days to the National Police, the Civil Guard and the Spanish government. If temporary stoppages do not end the episode of discrimination, the police may suggest expelling fans to allow play to continue or a permanent suspension of the match.

The measures must be implemented gradually and in agreement with the arbitrators, but a unilateral decision by the security forces is foreseen in case “calls to restore order have been exhausted and when there is no immediate possibility of such restoration.”

Vini Jr. was called “mono” (“monkey”, in Spanish) by the fans of Valencia, in a match valid for the Spanish Championship. The Brazilian complained to referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea and the game was stopped for nine minutes. The confrontation continued with the Brazilian angry and destabilized by his rivals on the field.

In the final stretch of the match, Vini clashed with goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and ended up expelled for hitting striker Hugo Duro with his hand in the face, even though he took a rear-naked choke from the opposing player, which was not focused by VAR. When leaving the lawn, the attacker made a “two” with his fingers, in reference to the team’s fight against the fall to Série B.

The incident had worldwide repercussions after Vini Jr. criticizing LaLiga (organizer of the Spanish Championship) for the lack of actions to combat racism. The episode generated revolt in Real Madrid, whose coach Carlo Ancelotti dedicated his entire interview to talking about the case. The controversy increased when the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, criticized Vinícius for having complained about the entity’s attitude towards cases of racism.

Vini Jr. has been systematically pursued by rival players and fans for at least two seasons. The striker warned of the image that Spain passes abroad by allowing such attacks to take place in the country’s biggest sporting competition. After the case, Valencia was fined and had part of its stadium closed. Three young people were arrested for insulting the player and are currently facing hate crimes. The season starts in August.