The Vinicius racism incident

SOMETHING unusual happened after a section of fans of Valencia FC subjected Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior to racial abuse during a recent La Liga match between the two sides. When the 22-year-old winger reported the abuse from the Valencia fans to the match referee, De Burgos Bengoechea, what he received was not the sympathy someone in his situation had every right to expect, but instead a red card. It was not until after the match when a still furious Vinicius Junior took to social media to explain his side of the story that he finally got the sympathy and understanding he had felt entitled to.

To say that the incident has put the Spanish football authorities- and arguably the entire Spanish society- under the spotlight is an understatement. It has certainly put La Liga chief executive Javier Tebas under pressure. Following Vinicius Junior’s comments on social media that the Spanish football league “belonged to racists,” Mr. Tebas had, rather condescendingly, asked the player to “educate himself.” For many people, Mr. Tebas’ unfortunate comments, and the fact that he directed his anger at the player, the clear victim of racial abuse, rather than the people who had subjected him to such foul abuse, is precisely the problem.

Those who criticise Mr. Tebas for his misdirected anger and insensitivity and for, in effect, condoning racism, do have a point. For instance, the ugly incident at the Mestalla Stadium was in fact the tenth time since 2021 that racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior alone had been reported. The typical response by La Liga to such incidents has been either to wave it aside or impose token fines on the affected teams. The fact that teams have gotten away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist has unsurprisingly given encouragement to fans who engage in racist abuse. At other times, racists have also received succour from rather unusual quarters— players who insist on the one hand that racism is bad, but on the other hand blame the affected players for bringing it upon themselves.  What such vicarious supporters of racism tend to forget is that to say one is not deserving of the basic presumption of one’s humanity unless one acts immaculately at all times is no different from saying that one is subhuman.

If there is one good that has come out of the latest incident, it is the unequivocal condemnation it has attracted. Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti (who incidentally has been linked with the vacant Brazil manager job), did not mince words in condemning the fans who racially abused Vinicius Junior, saying he would have understood had the player or the entire team decided to stage a walkout. The club itself did not hold anything back, releasing a statement in which it “strongly condemned” the incident as “a direct attack on the social and democratic model of coexistence of our state based on the rule of law.”

In addition, Real Madrid FC, believing “such attacks also constitute a hate crime,” filed a report with Spain’s Attorney General’s Office. For his part, Brazil president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Siva, has promised to bring up the issue with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez. Similarly, several active and retired players across Europe have spoken in support of Vinicius Junior. During Real Madrid’s home game at the Bernabeu after the Mestalla incident, Vinicius received a standing ovation while the entire squad wore his number 20 shirt.

We express our solidarity with Vinicius Junior and hope that the La Liga authorities bring down the hammer on the racist Valencia fans. The humanity of Vinicius Junior, or that of any non-white player, is not up for debate. Enough is enough.