Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr claims bold action will be taken against racist abuse in La Liga this season
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior has claimed that his entire team will walk off the pitch if he becomes a victim of racist abuse again. During his stint in Spanish football, Vinicius has often been the subject of vile racist attacks from fans.
The situation reached its lowest point when Valencia fans abused the Brazilian winger during a La Liga game at the Mestalla. A court in Valencia made history as they convicted three men and gave them jail sentences. La Liga announced that it was the first time such ruthless action was taken.
Vinicius has now claimed that Real Madrid players will take more strict actions if he is the subject of racist attack yet again. Speaking to CNN, he said:
“In the club, we talk about it more often. Not just me, but all players said that if that happens, the next time everyone has to leave the field so that all of those people who insulted us have to pay a much bigger penalty."
Vinicius added:
“In the case of what happened in Valencia, after the game – after we thought about it – everyone said that the right thing to do is to leave the field, but because you are there defending a team, we know that not everyone in the stadium is racist and were just there to watch the game."
UEFA have a three-step protocol to stop racism in stadiums. The first step is to pause a game and ask fans to stop their behavior through the public speaker. The second step is to temporarily stop the game and players temporarily walk off the field for 10 minutes.
The third step is to abandon a game altogether and Vinicius and his Real Madrid teammates will take the extreme path in the future.
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior speaks about racism suffered by normal people
Racism in any field of life can never be supported. Vinicius Junior has reflected on the sufferings that normal people have to go through in their daily lives.
Given he plays for a club of Real Madrid's stature, any injustice towards Vinicius gets the spotlight. However, many regular people have to silently suffer in their daily life. Vinicius pointed that out, saying (via CNN):
“Talking about racism is always very difficult because in the last season here in Madrid, it happened to me a lot – and it’s not even close to what normal people suffer in the streets."
Vinicius is one of Real Madrid's best players, meaning he is often the pantomime villain in the eyes of opposition fans.