Brazilian footballer Vinícius Junior has said that if Spain does not take action to tackle racism and the situation does not change, the country should not host the World Cup in 2030. The player, who has been the target of racist abuse for years, argued in an interview that footballers could feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Why Vinícius is right when he says that Spain is racist, by Moha Gerehou
“There is still room for change until 2030. I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult a person because of their skin colour. If things don’t change in 2030, I think that the venue should be changed,” he said. Spain will host the 2030 World Cup together with Portugal and Morocco.
According to Vinícius, players may not feel “comfortable” or “safe” playing in a country “where they can suffer racism”. “I want to do everything possible to change things because there are many people in Spain, or the majority, who are not racist. But there is a small group that ends up affecting the image of a country where it is great to live,” he explained.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has assured this Thursday, in statements collected by the Europa Press agency, that Spain already has “effective” measures against hate crimes. “Respect for diversity is part of our DNA,” said Grande-Marlaska in response to questions from the press, highlighting the “effective fight against all discriminatory conduct,” as the Ministry of the Interior did with an instruction a year ago in which the Police can suspend a sporting event if they detect racist acts.
The Minister of the Interior has recalled that the fight against hate crimes and in the field of sport in general “is a priority for the Government”, referring to the second plan to combat hate crimes and the deployment of “more resources”, in addition to having the cooperation of the specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the matter.
Years of racist insults on the pitch
The player has been suffering racist insults for years. Vinícius has spoken on multiple occasions about the impunity that exists regarding this: “It is not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition believes it is normal, the Federation does too, and the opponents encourage it,” he said on another occasion.
The footballer has already said in the past that Spain is “a beautiful country” that welcomed him, but that it has “accepted to export the image of a racist country to the rest of the world.” “I feel sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today in Brazil Spain is known as a country of racists. And sadly, because of everything that has happened, I cannot defend it. I agree,” he lamented.
Dani Carvajal denies that Spain is a racist country
Spanish international Dani Carvajal, a teammate of Vinícius at Real Madrid, was asked about this at the press conference prior to the national team’s match against Serbia and defended that the players are “against any situation of racism in stadiums.” “I know what Vini suffers in those moments when I have been able to be close to him,” said Carvajal, who reiterated that the Brazilian has the support of his teammates both internally and in public.
The captain of the Spanish national team believes that the Spanish league is “improving” and highlighted the protocols against racism and that “those violent people” cannot access sporting events again. However, Carvajal defended that “beyond that small group of people” he does not believe that Spain does not deserve to celebrate the World Cup and that “there is no need to question that [sic.] “Spain is by no means a racist country.”
“There are many cultures in our country. Since I was a child I have been raised with many nationalities around me in my neighbourhood in Leganés, I speak for what I am affected by, and I can boast that Spain is not a racist country at all,” concluded the footballer from Madrid.
