Vinicius Jr. was the victim of hostilities in the derby between Atletico and Real Madrid – Photo: / Getty Images
Vinicius Jr. (22) has repeatedly been the victim of racist attacks at Real Madrid games. The league sometimes looked the other way. Now those responsible are finally taking action and are even threatening to exclude viewers.
For Saturday night’s game between Osasuna and Real Madrid (0:2), LaLiga has increased the number of observers in the stadium. This is reported by the radio network Cadena SER. The employees should prevent racist attacks and identify possible perpetrators in order to facilitate criminal prosecution.
The Primera Division is also considering stadium closures, according to the report. This step has not been debated before. It would mean a massive break in club and fan life. The fact that the league bosses are considering such a measure in the worst case speaks volumes.
La Liga boss slams Vinicius Jr for criticism
Vinicius Jr. has been racially abused by opposing supporters three times this year alone. The Brazilian then heavily criticized the Spanish league for not sufficiently prosecuting or punishing the culprits.
Alongside Karim Benzema, Vinicius is Real Madrid’s main attacking player – Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com
“Racists continue to come into stadiums and look at the biggest clubs in the world and LaLiga continues to do nothing about it,” Vinicius rumbled in a statement in early January.
Association boss Javier Tebas (60) then finally showed a reaction, although not the one that Vini Jr. had hoped for. “It’s unfortunate, unfair and not true to say that LaLiga doesn’t do anything about racism. Better inform yourself,” said Tebas. Tebas rowed back a few weeks and announced that he wanted to protect Vinicius better, including through the observers who were in the stadium for the first time on Saturday.
