In the heart of Madrid, on the pitch of Mestalla Stadium, Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior stood tall, raising a triumphant right fist high above his head as he reveled in the moment after scoring a goal. Almost a year prior, he had been in the same place, this time with tears streaming down his face after being the target of abhorrent racial slurs from Valencia fans.
From this shameful incident emerged a stark call for change, a demand for justice for the Black forward playing for Real Madrid. Almost overnight, Vinícius found himself surrounded by an international fortress of solidarity, his personal horror igniting what many hoped would be a transformative crusade against racism in Spanish soccer—the start of a new chapter.
However, a weary Vinícius reported that, in the many months since the unsightly events at Mestalla, the abuse has evolved into a continuous barrage despite the proverbial outrage that echoed from the stands in Valencia. Displaying near-palpable emotion, Vinícius began to tear up during a press conference ahead of an upcoming friendly between Spain and Brazil, a match orchestrated under the poignant banner of “One Skin” to reflect the aftermath of the abuses that he suffered the year before.
“The provocation hasn’t let up,” Vinícius confessed ahead of the match. “Instead of waning, the attacks seem to have found disgusting audacity. It’s as if their relentless hatred carries an air of immunity, finding new ways to denigrate my skin color in an attempt to tamper with my performance. Couldn’t they find other ways to unsettle me without resorting to racial prejudice? I’m here to play the game, not to become the wielded weapon of cowards who hide in the crowd.”
In the shadow of the “One Skin” friendly, Vinícius remained a target for racial and hate insults, amplifying the simmering sense of inertia that many activists have decried. Despite what appeared to be an initial surge of a response from Spanish authorities and soccer’s governing bodies, Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement Against Intolerance, Racism and Xenophobia in Spain, states that “the overall progress is still disappointingly deficient.” He adds, “The echoes of indignation that followed the events of Mestalla have faded. In the constant battle of this cause, those responsible remain strikingly undeterred, continuing to echo their vile words as they once did.”
Never has this been more evident than on a fateful March evening, when the same Mestalla audience that bore witness to Vinícius’s defiant Black Power salute reported hearing a child voicing a ghastly racial epithet towards the player. The incident, recorded on video, is currently under review by the Spanish League.
In a scene all too familiar, Vinícius was again the target of racist chants—a cruel, bizarre twist of fate, none of these coming from Real Madrid matches. Instead, this disgracing mockery surfaced from fans of both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, during games that had no association with his team. To underscore the global disgrace: “These chants were aimed at me, in matches where I wasn’t even present!”
In the aftermath, Vinicius courageously called for justice on social media by challenging the European Soccer governing body to decisively act against such offenses. Meanwhile, Real Madrid decried the “negligence” of the game’s referee for failing to include the chants in his match report and went further to report these chants to the prosecutor’s office for hate crimes.
While there is indeed cynicism surrounding efforts to combat racism in Spanish soccer, there have been measured steps, at least in terms of penalties and arrests, towards addressing the problem. Soccer idols like Vinicius have become symbols of a ceaseless battle, voicelessly challenging authorities to be more stringent with those who misuse the game to foster hatred. The Spanish government, too, has initiated decisive actions through the creation of a permanent committee committed to curbing violence, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance in sports.
Spanish League president, Javier Tebas, feels inspired by these efforts while stressing the need for continued focus on the eradication of such bigotry from this beloved sport: “I can promise you this – ending racism is a priority for La Liga and all our clubs. Society at large, particularly sports fans, are increasingly aware that these attitudes are criminal, abhorrent and have no place among us. So we march on, aware of the deeply damaging effects acts of hatred have on players and the name of our sport, our community, and our nation.”
Irrational hatred, it seems, still ties itself to these small factions of soccer fans who obnoxiously deem themselves above the law. Rafael Carlos de Vega, Prosecutor with Spain’s Attorney General’s Office, bemoans the difficulty in identifying and convicting these lawbreakers, often resulting in stale cases. Yet, he praises the progress that has been made since the Vinícius incident in Mestalla.
While the struggle against racism in Spanish soccer continues, Vinícius’s unwavering bravery has highlighted the issue, uncovering the truth and sparking a desperate demand for the eradication of racial prejudice within the sport. He stands as a beacon of courage, casting a spotlight on an ugly reality and urging us all to ensure it is appropriately addressed. As the timeless adage goes – the first step towards solving a problem is acknowledging its existence.
