CNN
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Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr. broke down in tears during an emotional media conference on Monday as he spoke about his experience of racist abuse while playing for Spain’s Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old has suffered racial abuse from opposing fans in Spain on numerous occasions during his Madrid career, and has struggled to stay positive and motivated towards his football due to the abuse. He said he was there.
“I just want to play football, but it’s difficult to move on… I’m becoming less and less willing to play,” a visibly emotional Vinicius told reporters at a press conference. According to Reutersahead of the friendly match between Brazil and Spain at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on Tuesday.
Despite facing repeated discrimination, Vinicius explained that he has no plans to retire. los blancos Because he’s going to rebel against his abusers and stand up against racism.
“I never thought about[leaving Spain]because if I left Spain, I would be giving the racists exactly what they want,” he told the media, according to Reuters. .
“I will stay so the racists can keep looking at my face. I am a bold player who played for Real Madrid and won many titles. But it’s making a lot of people uncomfortable.”
Earlier this month, La Liga, Spain’s top soccer league, said it had “investigated and analyzed the facts” following allegations that Vinicius was the target of racist abuse by a member of the crowd during a match between Madrid and Valencia. “There is,” he announced.
This follows a series of racial attacks directed at Vinicius in Spain.
These include: Portrait of a Brazilian man hanged from a bridge Before his team faced city rivals Atlético Madrid in January 2023, and persistent racial abuse In a match against Valencia later that year. Racist slurs were also caught on camera during Real’s games at Osasuna, Mallorca, Real Valladolid and Atlético.
Pierre-Philippe Marcoux/AFP/Getty Images
The Brazilian spoke at length about the impact the repeated abuse had on him.
Vinicius insisted at the press conference that he did not classify Spain as racist, but denounced the racists in the crowd, saying there were no consequences for their actions. I lamented that I had not done so.
“I’m sure Spain is not a racist country, but there are many racists here and there are many in the stadium,” he told reporters. .
“This situation has to change, because perhaps people don’t really understand what racism is, and that’s why it’s really complicated. Over the past three years, I’ve talked to many Spaniards about racial discrimination. I had to show what discrimination is and how it affects me so much. At home, my family is very sad.
“Ever since I first publicly complained about racism in Spain in a stadium, the situation has only gotten worse because they have not been punished, and they are getting stronger.
“They know they can do anything, and they know that every word they say about the color of my skin can affect me on the pitch, and they know that if I play badly, That’s what I’m trying to do.
“I just want to be okay and have the peace of knowing that no one will judge me because of the color of my skin in any stadium in Spain.”
La Liga told CNN Sports in 2023 that it cannot impose penalties on clubs or fans themselves. Instead, the incident must be reported to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) committee or the local prosecutor’s office and treated as a legal case before a sporting penalty can be handed down.
Some of Vinicius’ colleagues have previously expressed solidarity with the young superstar, but the Spanish media’s reaction to the Brazilian’s emotional press conference was more mixed.
In particular, some Spanish journalists say they are the only ones responsible for the abuse Vinicius suffered.
“Vinicius should ask himself why similar incidents don’t happen to him with (Jude) Bellingham, Rodrigo and (Eduardo) Camavinga,” says journalist David Bernabéu. I have written This is what he said in a commentary for the Spanish news outlet Sport.
This comes after La Liga president Javier Tebas accused the forward in 2023 of not cooperating with the league to find out more about what it was doing to combat racism, a claim he later retracted. This comes after he was forced to apologize to ESPN Brazil. It wasn’t my intention, but I expressed my feelings in a bad way at the wrong time. ”
Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
Vinicius reacts to abuse from the stands during the match between Madrid and Valencia at the Estadio Mestalla in 2023.
Despite the criticism Vinicius has received within Spain, many other countries remain steadfast in their support of the talented Brazilian.
Troy Townsend, head of player engagement at UK anti-racism organization Kick It Out, expressed sympathy for Vinicius and said the sport had not taken a more proactive stance against racism. criticized that.
“Players are always told, ‘Don’t show any signs of weakness,'” Townsend said. I wrote to X on monday. “All I see is the incredible strength of young people who are visibly traumatized by continued and targeted racial abuse. This is what happens…and yet The game is avoidable every time.”
Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand also weighed in on the situation on social media.
“I know there is racism in this country.” [Spanish] There is a stadium there and it seems to be accepted by the authorities for some reason??? It’s heartbreaking to see young people like @vinijr broken down at press conferences. ” he wrote.
