Brazilian authorities condemn racist attacks against Vini Jr.

A Brazilian Foreign Ministry official spoke by telephone on Monday with the Spanish ambassador to express the Brazilian government’s condemnation of the racist attacks against footballer Vini Jr.

The Real Madrid forward, who has long been the target of racist chants in Spanish football stadiums, was called a monkey by opposing fans in Valencia on Sunday. On his social media accounts, he wrote: “The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists […] I’m sorry for the Spaniards who don’t agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists”. 

Vini Jr. is a regular in the Brazilian national team and represented his country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Ambassador Maria Luisa Escorel, Brazil’s deputy secretary for European and North American affairs, spoke on the phone today with Spain’s ambassador to Brazil, Mar Fernández-Palacios, The Brazilian Report has learned.

The Spanish Embassy in Brasília did not reply to a request for comment. However, the embassy retweeted a declaration by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling for “zero tolerance” with racism in football. “Hate and xenophobia should not have a place in our football or in our society,” Mr. Sánchez wrote.

The embassy also said in a statement that it “strongly condemns racist demonstrations and attitudes” which “in no way reflect the anti-racist positions of the absolute majority of the Spanish population.” It added that it “expresses total solidarity” with Vini Jr.

Valencia announced a lifetime ban from its stadium on the fans who shouted the racist slurs. Real Madrid presented a complaint to the Spanish Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Brazil’s Racial Equality Minister, Anielle Franco, told a press conference that the country will officially notify Spanish authorities and La Liga, responsible for Spain’s major football tournament. Earlier this month, she was in Madrid to sign a bilateral agreement on the fight against racism, including in sports.

Speaking to the press after the G7 summit in Japan, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said: “It is important that FIFA, the Spanish League, and other countries’ leagues all take serious measures — because we cannot allow fascism or racism to take over stadiums.”

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