“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi now belongs to racists.” Vinicius denounced those who insulted him bitterly, and the civilized world immediately stood by the Brazilian player, against those, or rather, racism.
Vinicius could no longer keep his composure.
Strong statement
The match between Valencia and Real Madrid became the focus of the world media, but this attention did not come from football expertise, but from a cultural war, with the rekindling of long-standing problems in La Liga in particular and in Europe in general.
Specifically, in the Mestalla stands, there were quite a few Valencia fans who used racist words towards Real player Vinicius. The atmosphere of the match really became worse from here, Vinicius did not want to continue playing when being insulted, he even wanted to rush into the stands to demand a settlement with the home team's fans.
In the end, Real suffered a narrow defeat, while the Brazilian player received his first red card in his career, along with tears of hurt.
Vinicius quickly conveyed his anger and indignation in his post-match statement: “A beautiful country, which welcomed me and loved me, agreed to export to the world the image of a racist country. I feel sorry for the Spaniards who do not accept this behavior. However, today, Spain is known as a country of racists.”
The battle between the parties involved was sparked when President Tebas declared: “Spain is not a racist country and the racism towards Vinicius was an isolated incident.” But soon after, the Brazilian player released “iron evidence” (a series of videos denouncing racists) for those who are still indifferent to this painful issue.
Alliance for Progress
At the Mestalla stadium, only Real supporters supported Vinicius. But when the lights went out, the civilized world united, to stand by the Brazilian player.
In his home country of Brazil, the Christ the Redeemer statue turned off its lights to condemn racist attacks on the Brazilian soccer star.
Barcelona – the great rival of the “Royal Team” also showed absolute support for Vinicius. Center-back Kunde emphasized: “Discriminatory insults should not be tolerated or justified. We must focus on solutions because the problem is unfortunately recurring and tarnishing the image of this tournament”.
Alliance for Progress was formed to fight racism with Vinicius
Coach Xavi also agreed with his student's point of view: "In general, unfortunately, there are cases of racism. Unfortunately. It's a shame. It's sad and regrettable that it happens in 2023. Racism must be eliminated once and for all."
In France, superstar Kylian Mbappe also shared and sympathized with Vinicius - "You are not alone. We are here and we love you".
Not only in the football world, but also former world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua reacted strongly on Instagram: "I feel his pain, 100%".
Vinicius's story has reached beyond the Mestalla, beyond Spain, beyond even the boundaries of the sport. It is truly a fight for progress, with Vinicius at the forefront.
The war has no end
If fighting segregation is a war, then progressives have the advantage, having launched a powerful first strike.
Under pressure from the world media, the Royal Spanish Football Federation fired six VAR referees, when the VAR team did not send enough images to help the main referee make an accurate decision.
Wilfried Zaha did not kneel before a Premier League match because he believed it would not solve the problem.
Shortly after the Vinicius incident, the world football governing body also made a strong statement. FIFA leaders have made recommendations when there is racist behavior. First, stop the match and announce it. Second, when the player leaves the field, the organizers must intervene to stop it. Third, when the match continues and the attack does not stop, the match will be stopped and the victim's team will win.
Obviously, the move by the authorities is very strong. However, it is difficult to say, the fight against racism on the football field will end, when there are things that are deeply rooted.
Racism is an old and special problem that has become more and more painful in the last decade, not only in Spanish football, but also in the whole of Europe. This is the consequence of a long history, with unscientific and anti-humane doctrines.
The issue of racism has penetrated the subconscious of many people, even the authorities. It is no coincidence that Vinicius "attacked" the leadership of La Liga, with harsh and angry words.
Wilfried Zaha has suggested ways to combat racism: “I personally feel we should encourage education in schools, in the media and take stronger action against racists – not just footballers, it’s everyone’s job.” But clearly, there’s a long way to go to make that happen.
The football stadium, for those who come to enjoy the top matches, is not a place for racism to run rampant. Rather, it is from the football stadium, along with the courage of the stars, that will be the springboard to attract people to unite, to fight against the painful problem in the heart of European society.
Thang Nguyen
Photo source: Internet.
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