Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid football star, emerged from an 88-minute on-pitch performance against Sevilla to commend the swift action undertaken by Sevilla in expelling and reporting a supporter to the authorities due to allegations of racial abuse. Upon the Real Madrid player’s social media sharing of an image seemingly indicating a fan conjuring a racist hand signal, Vinicius reports receiving another video capturing a different, younger spectator exhibiting a similar hateful gesture.
Following the conclusion of the La Liga match, Sevilla detailed a scenario wherein an identified individual was removed from the stadium and handed over to legal authorities. The club asserted their request for strict adherence to internal disciplinary regulations. This grave violation would lead to the imminent expulsion of the offender from the membership base; a decision publicly affirmed by the football club.
Sevilla voiced their abhorrent stance towards racist and xenophobic behaviour, expressing tangibly their commitment to ally with authorities in weeding out such destructive attitudes. These harmful behaviours misrepresent Sevilla’s fan base and are not representative of the club’s spirit, disclosed the statement.
Real Madrid, presently leading Spain’s La Liga, was met with a 1-1 draw against Seville in an away match held at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on that eventful Saturday evening.
Following the match, Vinicius took to X, once known as Twitter, to share his fitting remarks about the incident, which he recounts as being “number 19 and counting”. His heartfelt acknowledgment for Sevilla’s rapid stance and subsequent penalty was poignant against the backdrop of yet another lamentable incident tainting Spanish football. “Unfortunately, I had access to a video of another racist act in this Saturday’s match, this time carried out by a child,” he lamented.
Continuing, he expressed regret in witnessing uneducated attitudes, reinforcing his substantial investment in education in Brazil for fostering a generation of citizens capable of rising above such mentalities. His grim reminder of today’s unmasked racist indicates his hope for legislative reforms by Spanish authorities to address these issues more effectively. The star player further calls for substantial criminal repercussions for individuals found guilty.
Vinicius Jr has frequently been the target of racial slurs from opposition fans. The former month saw the 23-year-old testify in a trial against three Valencia fans charged with alleged racial abuse during a game played in May at Estadio Mestalla.
His accounts of racial abuse in the past year range from racist songs projected by Atletico Madrid fans to a critical debate surrounding his goal celebration, deemed a representation of racial bias towards “the happiness of a black Brazilian in Europe”. Instances of racially charged abuse while walking past fans, the display of an effigy of the player near the training ground, and video evidence of racial slurs from Mallorca fans have plagued his career. Detailed reports of such abuse have been submitted to relevant bodies by La Liga, following each harrowing episode. Vinicius’ ordeal with racism on the field continued till May 2023 during a match against Valencia.
