Vini Jr., Madrid to walk off pitch if racism persists

Vinícius Júnior said he and his Real Madrid teammates are prepared to walk off the pitch if he faces more racist abuse from fans in LaLiga this season.

The Brazil international has been targeted by opposition supporters on multiple occasions, including at Valencia‘s Mestalla Stadium in May 2023.

That incident eventually saw three fans jailed earlier this year, in what LaLiga said was the first guilty verdict of its kind in Spain.

However, Vinícius has also suffered racist abuse at Barcelona, Mallorca, Real Valladolid, Pamplona and Sevilla, as well as around derbies with Madrid’s rivals, Atlético Madrid.

In an interview with CNN published on Wednesday, Vinícius said he and the team would act differently if faced with another situation like the one in Valencia, when the game was temporarily suspended after he identified fans in the crowd who had abused him.

“In the club, we talk about it more often,” Vinícius said. “Not just me, but all [the] 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.

“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.

“It’s always very difficult to end a game, but with everything that’s been happening, that each time is getting worse, we do need to leave the field so things can change as soon as possible.”

LaLiga gathers evidence of racist abuse and passes it on to local hate crime prosecutors, who on several occasions have decided not to press charges.

The league has called on the Spanish government to change the law, to allow it to punish perpetrators directly; it also praised the Valencia ruling as sending “a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse.”

“Today I already see and feel the difference in Spain,” Vinícius said on Wednesday. “Today — maybe [some fans] are still racists — but nowadays they are afraid to express themselves in the football field, and in places where there are a lot of cameras.

“And with that we will reduce racism, little by little. Of course, we won’t be able to end it, but I’m already happy that I’m being able to change Spain’s mindset.”