The racism controversy broke out on Sept. 22. The controversy began midway through the second half of the match between Real and Valencia in the 35th round of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga season at the Estadio de Mestalla in Valencia, Spain.
In the 23rd minute, when Vinicius was fouled by a Valencia defender, an uninformed fan shouted a racial slur from the stands. Enraged, Vinicius got into an argument with the crowd. The referee calmed him down and the game resumed, but the already heated atmosphere didn’t cool down easily.
In the final minutes of the match, racism broke out again when Vinicius started getting nervous with his opponent. Vinicius was furious. When Vinicius was sent off after a VAR review, the Mestalla stadium was filled with boos for Vinicius. There are also suspicions of further racism in the process.
“It’s not the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s not the third time. Racism is common in Spanish La Liga. The federation encourages it. The league that once hosted Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi is now home to racists. There is no way to fight racism every week. I will fight racists until the end,” he said in a statement.
Real also released a statement shortly after, saying: “The club strongly reacts and condemns what happened to Vinicius. This is a direct attack on the rule of law and our democratic country. The club believes that this attack is a hate crime and will file a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office to investigate and hold those responsible for racism accountable.” 안전놀이터
Valencia also said shortly after the game: “The club, in cooperation with the police, has identified the fan who made the racist gesture towards Vinicius and is working to identify those involved. The club will apply disciplinary measures, including banning them from the stadium for life,” and announced that it would take strong action.
Despite the club’s threat of legal action, the situation has escalated. FIFA President Gianni Infantino took to social media to say, “This is insane. I want to make it clear that there is no place for any form of discrimination, including racism, in football and in society. Don’t just talk, walk the talk, we stand with the victims of racism, we are against racism and we prohibit any form of discrimination,” he said in an outraged statement.