Messages of support abound from everywhere. Victim of racist insults during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid on Sunday (1-0 defeat for Real), Vinicius has since received comforting words via social networks from many players or former players such as Mbappé, Neymar Rio Ferdinand or Ronaldo Nazario .
Jules Koundé, defender of FC Barcelona also took his pen in a long message on Twitter. “Discriminatory insults should not be tolerated or justified,” wrote the international tricolor. This is certainly the fact of a minority but that does not make it more acceptable. Are these people deeply racist or do they act only in order to destabilize? These behaviors are punishable by law. Stadium banning, alone, would be all too easy. What sanctions exist beyond football? Are they actually applied? Are they sufficient? Can we imagine more educational and general interest measures? »
The Seleçao striker was also able to count on support from Brazil, where the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer was extinguished Monday evening in Rio de Janeiro, for an hour “as a symbol of the collective fight against racism and in solidarity with the player and all those who suffer from prejudice in the world”. This action touched Vinicius who expressed himself on social networks by relaying the photo of the unlit Christ the Redeemer and adding as a caption: “Black and imposing. Christ the Redeemer was like that. An action of solidarity that touches me. But above all, I want to inspire and highlight our struggle. I am very grateful for all the love and support I have received over the past few months. Both in Brazil and around the world. I know exactly who is who. Count on me, because the good guys are the majority and I won’t give up. I have a purpose in life and if I have to suffer more and more so that future generations do not experience similar situations, I am ready and prepared”.
The Brazilian government itself, in a statement, denounced “in the strongest terms” the racist insults that the Brazilian star “has repeatedly suffered in Spain” and demanded that the Spanish government and football authorities, as well as FIFA, take “effective” measures to “prevent and avoid the repetition of these acts of racism”.
This Tuesday morning, Flávio Dino, Minister of Justice, announced that the Brazilian government was considering adopting the principle of extraterritoriality for the racist attacks suffered by Vinícius in Spanish football: “The penal code provides that, in certain exceptional situations , it is possible to apply Brazilian law, even abroad. This is an extreme remedy in the event of a crime against Brazilians, which can be useful in the event of inaction by the authorities initially competent. »
In Spain, the sports daily Marca published an edition with a spectacular with a long text to denounce the treatment reserved for Vinicius with a title in capital letters: “It is not enough not to be racist, you have to be anti-racist”.
Finally, on Tuesday, the Spanish police announced that they had arrested four people accused of having hanged a model bearing the effigy of Vinicius on a bridge before the quarter-final of the King’s Cup Real – Atlético at the end of January.
