Racism against Vinicius Jr generates tension in Spain x Brazil – 03/25/2024 – Sport

After the 1-0 victory over England in the debut of coach Dorival Júnior, Brazil measures forces with Spain this Tuesday (26), in a long-awaited clash between two world champion teams undergoing reformulation, but which extends beyond the ball disputes within the four lines.

With the motto “one skin”, the game at the Santiago Bernabéu, home of Real Madrid, is part of the efforts of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and the Spanish Football Federation to promote actions to combat racism in football, in the wake of the constant attacks suffered by Brazilian Vinicius Junior.

Playing for Real Madrid since 2018, the star of the Brazilian national team has been forced to live with frequent insults in Europe — the list includes prejudiced comments on sports programs, “monkey” chants uttered by opposing fans in stadiums and a simulation of the hanging of a doll with the star’s shirt.

In an interview given this Monday (25), Vinicius Junior spoke much more about racism in Spain than about his performance and that of his teammates on the field. He even cried when talking about the prejudice he suffers on Spanish soil.

“I’m increasingly sad, I have less desire to play, but I’m going to keep fighting,” said the player, who said he was frustrated with the lack of punishments in Spain against racist fans.

In the most recent case, Vinicius Junior was attacked without even being on the field. He was the target of racist chants from Atlético de Madrid fans before a game against Inter Milan in the Champions League at the beginning of the month.

Due to the extensive history of episodes of racism, the risk of any type of prejudiced expression coming from the stands in the confrontation between Brazil and Spain is a concern for the match organizers. Although the game will be at the home of Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior’s team, fans of opposing teams will also be present on the pitch in Madrid.

“I don’t believe that this will happen. If it happens again, I believe that the Spanish Federation should intervene directly and take very drastic and heavy actions in relation to fans who cause this type of situation”, said Dorival Júnior.

On the field, the five-time champion team arrives confident for the clash with the Spanish after their good performance against England, in London.

The clash on Saturday (23), at Wembley Stadium, was balanced, with the two teams alternating good chances and moments of greater pressure on the opponent’s field. It served to leave a positive impression regarding the start of Dorival’s work, with a renewed and well-organized team, capable of creating attacking plays without giving up defensive security.

The team was coming off a bad season last year, accumulating negative marks under the command of Fernando Diniz, such as the first defeat at home in the World Cup qualifiers and an unprecedented sequence of three defeats in the qualifying tournament.

The new Brazilian coach has not confirmed whether he will repeat the lineup adopted over the weekend or whether he will give an opportunity to players who did not start the last match.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá, who returned to the national team after being left out of previous squads due to an investigation into match-fixing in the Premier League, took over creating the plays in midfield, he was one of the main highlights against the English and should be among the 11 starters again.

In attack, Dorival said that Endrick will not be in the starting lineup against Spain. The 17-year-old from Palmeiras, already traded to Real Madrid, was responsible for securing the victory in the team’s debut in 2024 by scoring with his first touch of the ball.

Spain is coming off a 1-0 defeat to Colombia on Friday (22), a result that ended a series of eight unbeaten games. The previous setback occurred about a year ago, in a game against Scotland in the European Championship qualifying tournament.

The game against Brazil should serve as preparation for Spain, which is in group B of the Euro, alongside Italy (current champion), Croatia and Albania. Three-time champion of the tournament, the Spanish team is looking to win a title it hasn’t won in 12 years — it won the trophy in 1964, 2008 and 2012.

In Tuesday’s game, coach Luis de la Fuente will be able to count on the important return of midfielder Rodri, from Manchester City, one of the main players in the young Spanish squad and a fundamental cog in the gears of Pep Guardiola’s multi-champion team in England. . He was rested by the coach during the clash with the Colombians.

The game between Brazil and Spain is scheduled for 5:30 pm (Brasília time), broadcast by Globo and SporTV. The last clash between the teams took place in 2013, in the final of the Confederations Cup, won by Brazil 3-0, with two goals from Fred and one from Neymar, at Maracanã. In total, the teams faced each other nine times, with five wins for Brazil, two for Spain and two draws.

Spain x Brazil (friendly)
Where: Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Tuesday (26), at 5:30 pm (Brasília time)
On TV: Globo and SporTV

Spain: Unai Simón; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte and Grimaldo; Rodri, Fabián and Dani Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Morata and Nico Williams
Coach: Luis de la Fuente

Brazil: Bento, Danilo, Fabrício Bruno, Beraldo and Wendell; Bruno Guimarães, João Gomes and Lucas Paquetá; Raphinha, Vini Jr and Rodrygo
Coach: Dorival Júnior