The Spanish soccer league La Liga is facing global ridicule over the explusion of 22-year-old Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. during a match Sunday. Before his expulsion, the Brazilian striker had been the target of racist chants of fans inside and outside the stadium in Valencia.
Since the abuse, Vini — the victim — remains the only person formally punished.
Vini’s expulsion came after he attempted to leave the field in the second half; doing so is FIFA protocol when racist chants are audible. Valencia’s players, however, forcibly stopped him. One threw his hands around Vini’s neck. Vini pushed back to defend himself — and he was the one punished in the end.
It’s the latest and most egregious in a series of racist soccer incidents in Spain, many of which have been targeted at Vini. It’s leaving many players of color wondering if playing in Spain is worth the trouble.
“It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third,” Vini said of the incident — and the record proves it, as he alone has made eight different racism complaints to La Liga this season.
“Racism is normal in La Liga,” he said. “The competition considers it normal, the federation considers it normal and the rivals encourage it. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi now belongs to the racists.”
The brazenness of the crowd abuse and on-field behavior have garnered attention and sympathy around the world.
At a news conference on Monday, Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish soccer federation condemned the verbal abuse of Vini.
“The first thing is to acknowledge that we have a problem in our country–(a problem of) behavior, education, racism,” he said.
But some other influential Spanish soccer officials believe Vini is the problem.
La Liga president Javier Tebas criticized Vini on Twitter: “Before criticizing and insulting La Liga, you need to inform yourself properly, Vinicius… Neither Spain nor La Liga is racist. It is very unfair to say that.”
(Tebas is a public supporter of Vox, Spain’s far right nationalist party. Vox opposes both same-sex marriage and immigration, and is working to reduce domestic violence protections for Spanish women. “They seem good to me,” Tebas has said of Vox. “I’ve been saying it for a while. Spain needed an alternative like Vox.”)
Meanwhile, Vini has a powerful ally in his corner. Brazilian president Lula da Silva, currently at the G7 summit in Japan, spoke to the media about Vini’s abuse in Spain.
“It is not fair that a poor boy who is winning in his life, becoming one of the best in the world, certainly the best at Real Madrid, is insulted in every stadium he goes to,” he said.
