After the racist chants that Vinicius received last Sunday at the Metropolitano by a sector of the athletic fans, the Congress of Deputies has reacted with an institutional statement where “it expresses its absolute rejection of Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in sport and in any other field.
The official text reads as follows: «Last Saturday there was an unfortunate racist incident in the vicinity of the Atlético de Madrid field when Atlético fans poured racist and xenophobic insults on the player Vinicius Junior because of the color of his skin.
The agitation of hate, racism and xenophobia is not a strictly sporting issue because football also educates, and in this case it educates for the worse: from the football fields the insults go to the schoolyards. That is why this parliament cannot look the other way.
This episode is not an isolated case but a new example of a reality that has already been denounced many times: Marega, Kameni, Williams, Marcelo, Alves of Eto’oamong others, are some of the players who have suffered racist insults.
An even more bloody reality considering that only once has a match been stopped. This shows that, indeed, it is possible to stop a match due to insults from the stands and that the only thing missing is greater awareness and, in addition to the sanctions that the Anti-Violence Commission can and should impose, greater forcefulness on the part of of institutions, clubs and players.
For all these reasons, the Congress of Deputies:
It expresses its absolute rejection of Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in sport and in any other field.
It is committed to the will to agree between the parliamentary groups to promote respect in the field of sport and the necessary measures to eradicate intolerance, racism, xenophobia and any form of violence.
Urges the organization of La Liga, UEFA, FIFA, the Sports Clubs and also the athletes involved, as well as the Higher Sports Council and all public administrations to continue committing themselves to the total eradication of Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in sport”.
