• Controversy Vinicius receives racist insults in Mestalla, ends up expelled for an aggression and says goodbye with gestures of "to Second"
  • Insults Vinicius explodes against Spain: "A country I love and which is now known as a country of racists"

25 February 2006, La Romareda, Zaragoza. Samuel Eto'o threatens to leave the camp after being insulted racistically. "I don't play anymore."

21 May 2023, Mestalla, Valencia. Vinicius Júnior suffers racist insults from the stands and threatens to go to the dressing room. "It's business as usual. He has called me a monkey."

Between Eto'o and Vinicius have passed 17 long years in which Spanish football has evolved in many things except one: there are people, even if it is a minority, who continue to use the color of the skin of their football rival to insult him. "Insulting because of the color of the skin is a fashion that is going to more and that will not stop until it is harshly sanctioned," criticized the Cameroonian in 2006. There are the examples during these years: Dani Alves, Iñaki Williams, Diakhaby, Akapo, Umtiti, Marcelo, Pape Diop, Paulao, Nyom...

At the time, Zaragoza fell the most important fine in the history of Spanish football for this issue: 9,000 euros. A "ridiculous" amount, as assessed at the time by Joseph Blatter, president of FIFA, and Eto'o himself: "You have to have a strong hand, but not with money. We must look for solutions among all, to see if ordinary justice can also help, "asked the Barcelona player.

Now, in the middle of 2023, those statements of Eto'o serve to develop the context of what Vinicius suffered in Mestalla. The Brazilian, expelled by direct red for a slap to Hugo Duro and faced the stands, to which he made gestures of "to Second", received throughout the match chants such as "you are a monkey", "fucking black" or "uh, uh, uh" and in the descent of the bus dozens of people chanted "you are a monkey". The racist problem is real.

Vinicius, "affected"

Encouraged by his environment, which yesterday clamored for the "shame" in which Spanish football has become, Vinicius published a harsh statement on his social networks in which he described Spain as "a racist country". The Brazilian, with more than 40 million followers among all his profiles, is "very affected" with everything that is happening, as this newspaper could know, but he does not plan to leave Madrid. The striker received the support of his dressing room mates, other footballers, clubs and stars of other sports, with special affection from Brazil and England. In his country even the president, Lula da Silva, spoke and in the British Isles, with the always tempting interest of English football in acquiring his services, legends such as Rio Ferdinand came to the step of insults: "Who protects you in Spain, Vini? How many times will we have to watch him go through the same shit? He needs help and the authorities don't do fucking shit, he can't stay under the rug any longer."

The reality is that there is much of a reason in the message of Ferdinand, former captain of Manchester United. Only during this season, LaLiga, which can not sanction or close stands or stadiums (competition of the RFEF) has already sent seven complaints derived from racist insults to Vinicius. 7 in 35 days. If we take into account that all have occurred in the matches that the player has played away from home, it would be 7 in 16, almost 50%. Nine if we add the two made last year. Complaints that have gone to the file of the Competition Committee of the RFEF, the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport and the Hate Prosecutor's Office.

According to LaLiga sources consulted by EL MUNDO, before "the constant filing of these complaints", the organization raised these claims to the local courts where the racist insults had occurred.

Chronology of complaints

The first complaint came after the October 2021 classic at the Camp Nou, which was filed because the police "could not identify" the aggressors. Months later, in Mallorca, the Prosecutor's Office filed the complaint because "the sounds uttered, profane, despicable, humiliating and regrettable, do not seem to have the criminal dimension that is postulated". The Madrid derby of September last year was a turning point for the controversy of the "Baila Vini Jr", but the racist insults heard in the Metropolitano were also archived for "not integrating a crime against the dignity of the person".

After the match against Valladolid, in December 2022, LaLiga went for the first time to the ordinary courts and Pucela's team opened a file on 11 identified. And the derby came again, the banner and the Vinicius doll hanging from a bridge near Valdebebas, which is still being investigated by the Court of Instruction No. 28 of Madrid.

Then Vinicius would return to Mallorca, where he would be insulted again. After the complaint of LaLiga in the Courts of Palma and the declaration of the Brazilian, a fine of 4,000 euros and 12 months of exclusion from the sports venues was proposed to one of the fans and the withdrawal of the card to two more.

The sanction did not serve as an example, and Vinicius again received racist insults, denounced by LaLiga, in El Sadar, Benito Villamarín and Camp Nou.

Madrid prepares the "consequences"

In Madrid there is "discomfort and concern" about this whole situation and the club is already preparing the "consequences" of everything that has been experienced with Vinicius during the last months. The white team has already issued a statement and has denounced the insults to the Prosecutor's Office, but it will not stop there. He will wait for the resolution of the investigation and work is being done to give a lot of "love" to the player in the next home games. In Valdebebas they do not understand that they have not acted more harshly in the sanctions and cry out against LaLiga and the Federation.

  • Vinicius Junior
  • Javier Tebas
  • FIFA
  • Sepp Blatter
  • Marcellus
  • Real Madrid
  • Carlo Ancelotti

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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