Vinicius remains determined to become a public figure against racism. The Brazilian opened up in an extensive interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe and reflected on xenophobia in football and his involvement in the fight against this scourge following the episodes he has had to face on a field of game.
«It happened on many occasions, and in Valencia in a flagrant and important way. I felt very sad. If I am on the ground it is to make people happy. And a group, which I know is a minority, can affect you to the point that you no longer think about playing. I learned a lot about racism. Every day I know more. “It’s a really complex issue,” says the Real Madrid attacker, referring to that racist episode at Mestalla that widely surpassed the barriers of football and even reached diplomatic levels.
«What happened in Valencia was on matchday 35, but in all the away games played before this there were episodes of racism. They never did anything. He had already spoken with LaLiga to say that this had to change. They didn’t listen to me. They listened to me from the moment the whole world started talking about Spain. That made them react. Personally, I know that I am not going to change history, that I am not going to make Spain a country without racists, nor the entire world. But I know that I can change some things,” recalls the Carioca in reference to a fight that he intends to promote although aware that he needs support on his path.
«If I face racism alone, the system will easily crush me. When we are all together, when important people bring up the topic, like the president of Brazil, like the president of UEFA, like Kylian (Mabppé), like Neymar, great players, like Rio Ferdinand, who always writes to me and who is with me in “This fight, that necessarily has more weight,” adds Vinicius, aware of the need to involve broad sectors of football in pursuit of a common purpose.
«Above all, I think that we players are already doing many things and that it is up to the leagues to do their job. In Valencia, a whole group in a stadium insults a player and the next game they can play normally? With your audience, without losing points, without sanction? The change will come there. I think we have to act so that racists are afraid to say things that could affect me, but also their lives. “People need to understand,” the Madrid player emphasizes his idea of the preponderant role of institutions in condemning racism in football.
«I just want to have peace of mind to play and know that they are not going to insult me on the field because I am black. For a spectator to insult me because I scored, okay. He can insult me without disrespecting me. He can whistle at me the whole game. I do not care. When it comes to racism, it’s something else,” concludes the Brazilian player, who also aims to differentiate between the tension inherent to rivalry and racist insults.
2023-10-13 17:55:48
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