Real Madrid’s Júnior says ‘racism is normal’ in La Liga

After alleging he was again subjected to racist treatment by opposing fans, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior said Sunday that such behavior has been normalized in Spain and his team lodged a hate-crime complaint Monday with Spanish authorities.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists,” the 22year-old Brazilian winger wrote on Sunday on social media in Portuguese. “A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world. I’m sorry for the Spaniards who don’t agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.”

Real Madrid’s match Sunday at Valencia came to a temporary halt in the second half when Vinícius went toward the stands behind the Valencia goal and pointed to where he said fans were hurling racial abuse at him. Referees initiated an anti-racism protocol in which they warned Valencia fans that further such acts would result in the suspension of the match.

Following the match, a 1-0 Valencia win, Real Madrid Manager Carlos Ancelotti said “what happened today shouldn’t happen.”

“When a stadium yells ‘monkey’ to a player,” Ancelotti said, “and the coach considers taking him out of the field because of that, it means that there is something bad in this league.”

On Monday, Real Madrid filed a hate crime complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s office and said in a statement that it showed “its strongest rejection and condemns the events that occurred . . . against our player Vinicius Jr.” In addition, the club announced that its president, Florentino Perez, met with the player “to show him his support and affection, to inform him of all the steps that are being taken in his defense and to confirm that the club will go to the last consequences in the face of such a repugnant situation of hate.”

The Movement Against Intolerance and the Association

of Spanish Soccer Players also announced in a joint statement they had also filed a complaint with the same office, citing racial slurs.

Since arriving in Madrid as an 18-year-old in 2018, Vinícius has been targeted for abuse by opposing fans, and he has even been subjected to racism by officials within the Spanish soccer world. In September, after Vinícius danced as part of a goal celebration, the president of the Spanish agents’ association was widely condemned for saying on a TV program that the Brazilian star should “respect your mates and stop playing the monkey.” An effigy of Vinícius was hung from a highway bridge in Madrid shortly before a January Copa Del Rey match against crosstown Atlético Madrid.

“It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” Vinícius wrote Sunday. “The competition thinks it’s normal, the Federation does too and the opponents encourage it.”

Valencia said in a statement that it was “saddened by the events that occurred” during the match against Real Madrid.

“Although this is an isolated episode, insults to any opposing player have no place in football and do not fit with the values and identity of Valencia CF,” it said. “The club are investigating what occurred and will take the most severe measures against the perpetrators.”

Valencia spokesman Javier rival

Solís took issue with Ancelotti’s comments and demanded an apology from the Italian manager.

“In light of the unfortunate and completely incorrect statements by Mr. Ancelotti, in which he branded all of the fans at Mestalla [Stadium] as racist, the club cannot tolerate this,” Solís said. “We reject these complaints head-on. Possibly it is the result of a mistake in the language, and he must have understood another word as being said.”

La Liga said in a statement Sunday that since October 2021 it has lodged nine complaints to governmental anti-racism authorities over alleged incidents involving Vinícius, and it asked fans to identify those among them who engage in racial abuse.