MADRID – Brazil winger Vinicius Jr said during a tearful press conference on March 25 that his desire to play football has been reducing, as incidents of racial abuse aimed at him piled up in Spain.
The Real Madrid forward has suffered abuse from opposition fans on many occasions in recent years with one incident in Valencia in May provoking worldwide outrage.
Last season, there were 10 such episodes against the 23-year-old reported to prosecutors by La Liga.
“I’ve been seeing this (racism) for a long time, and every time I feel sadder, and every time I have less desire to play,” Vinicius said ahead of Brazil’s friendly match against Spain on March 26 as part of an anti-racism campaign.
He broke down in tears at one point after answering questions about the racial abuse he has suffered in different stadiums across Spain. However, he said he would not move to a different country to escape the abuse.
“It never crossed my mind because if I leave Spain I give the racists exactly what they want,” he said. “I will stay at the best club in the world, scoring as many goals as I can so they keep watching me. I will stay because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more.”
He added: “Playing football is very important but the fight against racism is hugely important. I want people of colour to have a normal life and if that was the case, I would go to games with my club only focused on playing.”
His Real teammate and Spain defender Dani Carvajal said his country was not racist but condemned the action of some fans.
“Sadly these people go to football to let loose all their rage,” he noted. “When it seems that it hurts someone, they do it more and it’s a pity. They should not be allowed into stadiums because it’s the ugliest thing that exists in sport.”
Last May, Real’s La Liga game at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium was halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius was racially abused by sections of the crowd. He pointed out fans who were abusing him, before he was involved in an altercation with Valencia players that led to him being sent off.
The incident led to an outpouring of support for him and galvanised a series of local and international campaigns. But the situation did not improve and Vinicius was subjected to more abuse this season, with La Liga reporting several other cases in the last few months.
“The lack of punishments is very frustrating. If we start punishing these people, not that they’ll change their thinking, but they’ll be afraid to speak out... (we need to) put fear into those people,” he said. “I want to keep fighting for it, but it’s hard.” AFP, REUTERS
