Valencia fans and Spanish League in new episode of racial discrimination against Viny Jr
The playerVinny Jr. was the target of yet another episode of racial denunciation by the fans of the Spanish team"Valencia" playing in the Spanish League.
Photo Reproduction / International Media
This weekend the fans of theValencia and the Spanish League were again involved in an episode of racial discrimination, against the player Viny Jr., a Real Madrid striker. During a match between the two teams, which took place last Sunday (21), part of the fans of theValencia present at the Mestalla stadium were caught imitating and calling the Brazilian player "mono" (Monkey in Spanish).
to departure
The confrontation between Real Madrid and Valencia took place during the 35th round of the Spanish Championship. At the beginning of the match, Vinicius, furious with the racial insults, made an attempt to draw the referee's attention to the supporters of theValencia. The chants of "mono" remained throughout the game. But the situation exploded in the 24th minute of the second half. During a play on the left side,vinicius Junior encountered an unexpected obstacle with the presence of a second ball on the field. The Real Madrid striker expressed his dissatisfaction with the referee, while part of the crowd near the goal of theValencia confronted him with offensive words of racist content, in an intense way.
Vini then decided to approach the refereeRicardo De Burgos Bengoetxea to report the presence of a specific fan in the stands behind the goal. The transmitted images and photographs clearly reveal that other players, both from the Real Madrid team and the opposing team,made an effort to calm the situation. An example of this is the left-backGay, who is also the captain ofValencia.
The referee promptly spoke with the players, coaches of both teams. The sound system also issued two announcements: the first informing that the match had been stopped due to an incident of a racist nature, and the second clarifying that the game would only resume if the acts of insults and discriminatory chants were stopped. It passed approximately eight minutes of stoppage, from the moment the confusion with the second ball on the field and the complaint of racism began, until the game was resumed.
Photo Reproduction / International Media
The second half continued and close to 48 minutes, a new confusion broke out in the Valencia area. Goalkeeper Mamardashvili confronted Viny Jr, resulting in yellow cards for both initially, while other players also got involved in the situation. During the confusion, striker Hugo Duro choked the Brazilian player, grabbing him by the neck. Upon freeing himself, Vinicius punched his opponent in the face. After the situation calmed down, the video referee (VAR) summoned Burgos Bengoetxea, who reviewed the play and opted to send off the Brazilian player.
After receiving the red card, Vinicius Junior left the field applauding and making a gesture with the number 2, in allusion to the risk of relegation of theValencia. Members of the coaching staff and home team players came forward to question. The Brazilian player had to be escorted by his Real Madrid colleagues. The match ended with victory for Valencia by 1 to 0.
Repercussion
The deplorable attitude was condemned by the home team itself and by several personalities from outside and from the world of football, who demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible. Valencia had already been punished on other occasions for episodes of racial discrimination, which shows that there is still much to be done to eradicate this type of behavior in Spanish stadiums.
Aftermatch, the striker of Real Madrid, through a publication on one of his social networks, spoke about the racist screams.
After the match, Carlos Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, expressed his support for the Brazilian player. During a post-match press conference, Ancelotti chose not to specifically discuss the match, opting instead to be critical of theThe League, the Spanish league that encompasses football clubs in Spain.
In a note, the Spanish League also spoke and guaranteed that it will take measures to investigate the "incidents" that occurred at the Mestalla stadium and also informed that it has already requested all available images to investigate the case and, if necessary, will take "all appropriate measures". , in addition to punishing those involved. By the end of March, La Liga had received eight complaints of racism against Vinicius Junior this season. In February, the Spanish league established a special commission to deal with cases involving the Brazilian player, but so far no one has been punished.
Valencia issued a statement strongly condemning "any and all types of insults or attacks in football". The club expressed its complete opposition to physical and verbal violence in stadiums, expressing deep regret for the incident that occurred during the game against Real Madrid. However, although it classified the incident as an "isolated episode", the club vowed to take extremely strict measures once the investigation is completed. In addition, he reaffirmed his condemnation of any form of offense and emphasized the need for "maximum respect" for his fans.
Other manifestations of repudiation
- Mbappe posted: "you are not alone, we are with you and supporting you".
- In an official statement, Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of theBrazilian Football Confederation (CBF), spoke about the incident involving the Brazilian athlete, raising questions about the persistence of such situations in the world of football and how long we will have to face them.
- Carlo Ancelotti shared a message on his social media platforms expressing his support for Real Madrid player number 20. The team's coach had already given a scathing interview to "Movistar", vehemently condemning the actions of the fans of theValencia.
- Rafael Leão, Milan player, and Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United icon, joined their voices in solidarity with the Brazilian player, also counting on the support of other renowned names in international football.
- Brazilian clubs, such as Palmeiras, São Paulo, Flamengo, Fluminense, Ceará, Atlético-MG, among others, released messages after the case.
- The President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) asked the Spanish authorities to take the necessary measures.
"Vinicius Jr. was the target of severe attacks, being called a monkey. It is unacceptable that, almost in the middle of the 21st century, racial prejudice is gaining strength in several football stadiums in Europe. It is not fair that a young man from humble origins, who has achieved success in life and is becoming one of the best players in the world, arguably Real Madrid's best, is offended at every stadium he visits," declared the president.
- The Ministry of Racial Equality announced its intention to send a notification to the Spanish authorities and to La Liga, the organization responsible for the Spanish championship.
- On the morning of this Monday, the 22nd, Real Madrid filed a complaint with theAttorney General of Spain, alleging the occurrence of hate crimes and discrimination directed at the Brazilian player Vinícius Jr, currently playing for the Spanish club.
"Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, which is why it has filed a corresponding complaint with the State Attorney General's Office, specifically with the Attorney General's Office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated and responsibilities established", declared the Madrid club in a statement.
This Monday morning, Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, spoke again and responded to the criticism made by the Brazilian in relation to the Spanish league, accused of failing to deal with similar cases, and stated that "both Spain and La Liga does not have any kind of racism".
"It's very unfair to say that," Tebas declared. "We cannot allow the image of a competition that is about the symbol of the union of peoples to be tarnished, where more than 200 players are of black origin in 42 clubs that receive, in each round, the respect and affection of the fans, with racism an extremely punctual case (9 complaints) that we are going to eliminate".
Already the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luís Rubiales, defended Vinícius Jr. and stated that there is indeed a "problem with racism in our country".
- Several other demonstrations took place in defense of the Brazilian player, including positions from FIFA, authorities and sportsmen, demanding concrete actions against racism in football, particularly in Spain.
