Vinicius Junior racism row: Seven accused arrested
Vinicius Junior (Source: Twitter)
According to Spanish authorities, seven people have been detained in connection with two distinct episodes of racism involving the Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior. In Valencia, three of the arrests were due to racial taunts directed towards Vinicius during Madrid’s La Liga loss at Mestalla on Sunday. The hanging of a mannequin sporting a Vinicius shirt from a bridge close to Real Madrid’s practice area in January led to four arrests in Madrid.
Vinicius’ treatment at Mestalla has provoked outrage throughout the world, particularly in Brazil, where politicians, including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, players, and clubs have spoken out in favour of the player and criticized how Spanish sport has handled racism. Vinicius’s claim that a Valencia supporter had racially harassed him behind the goal caused the game to be paused for about ten minutes on Sunday. Videos posted on social media showed fans harassing the Brazil international both before and after the game.
In a show of support for the athlete, the famed Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro had its lights turned out for an hour on Monday. The bridge incident happened in January, only days before Real Madrid‘s Copa del Rey match against Atletico Madrid.
He knows his future has to be here: Carlos Ancelotti
Before the quarterfinal match at the Bernabeu, the dummy was exhibited next to a poster that said “Madrid hates Real”—a chant popular among some of Atletico’s hardline ultras. “Racism is normal in La Liga” and “the championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, today belongs to racists,” Vinicius was quoted as saying in a social media post on Sunday.
The mannequin dangling from the bridge and Sunday’s events at Mestalla are two of the ten incidents featuring racial insults directed towards Vinicius that LaLiga has now submitted to prosecutors over the course of the previous two seasons. In a statement released following the bridge incident, Atletico Madrid called it “repugnant” and “unacceptable.”
In spite of the racism Vinicius has experienced this season, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed confidence that Vinicius will stay at the club at his news conference on Tuesday. “Vinicius loves Real Madrid. His love for Real Madrid is big. He wants to have his career here and play for this team. … He knows his future has to be here. A lot of things go through people’s heads in these moments, but his idea isn’t [leaving], he wants to play for Real Madrid,” Ancelotti said.
