Luis Ayllón
The racist insults suffered last Sunday by Real Madrid’s Brazilian player Vinicius Junior at the Mestalla stadium during the match against Valencia have provoked a heated reaction in Brazil, both in the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and in the media, and have brought Spain to the brink of a diplomatic row with the South American country.
It was precisely Lula who was the first to react, in an appearance before journalists in Hiroshima (Japan), where he was taking part in the G-7 summit. The Brazilian leader, after expressing his support for Vinicius, denounced: “They insult him in all the stadiums he attends. I think it is important that FIFA, the Spanish League, the leagues of other countries take measures, because we cannot allow fascism and racism to be installed inside football stadiums”.
In line with the line taken by its president, five government ministries (Foreign Affairs, Racial Equality, Justice and Public Security, Sport and Human Rights and Citizenship) issued a joint statement yesterday in which they rejected “in the strongest terms” the racist attacks that Vinicius “has suffered repeatedly in Spain”, and called on the Spanish authorities to take action to prevent a repetition.
After pointing out that these are serious events and that there have already been other “inadmissible episodes”, the communiqué says that the Brazilian government “deeply regrets that so far the necessary measures have not been taken to prevent and avoid these acts of racism” and asks the Spanish government and sports authorities to punish those responsible for what happened.
At the same time, the Brazilian government appeals to the world’s top football body, FIFA, as well as to the Spanish Federation and LaLiga to implement appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Finally, it recalls that the Brazilian government “has been acting in cooperation with the Spanish government to promote policies of racial equality and share knowledge and good practices to expand access to people of African descent and immigrants, with total intolerance to any and all discriminatory practices, with support for the improvement of international best practices to promote the prevention and fight against racism, as well as any type of discrimination in the different sports”.
The unease revealed by the note from the Brazilian ministries is reflected in even harsher terms in the Brazilian media, in some of which, in addition to suggesting accusations of racism towards Spanish society, it is claimed that the Spanish ambassador in Brasilia, Mar Fernández-Palacios, is going to be summoned to Itamaraty, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to express a protest, or that this recrimination has already been transmitted by telephone to the Embassy.
These last terms have not been confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor has the Brazilian embassy in Madrid made any request for an interview with officials from the department. The diplomatic representation indicated that the ambassador, Orlando Leite Ribeiro, has requested a meeting with the president of Laliga, Javier Tebas, and the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales.
However, government sources consulted by The Diplomat acknowledged that an official from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs phoned the Spanish ambassador, who is currently in our country, to express his “dissatisfaction” with the insults to Vinicius.
Furthermore, the Minister for Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, reported that, shortly after the match, she spoke on the phone to the second vice-president of the government, Yolanda Díaz, to ask for a statement from the Spanish government. Some of his cabinet colleagues, such as the Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida, went even further in expressing his irritation and said: “The position of the Spanish authorities and the entities that manage football is criminal. It reveals an undeniable collusion with racism”.
Last night, the Brazilian ambassador told COPE that “Spaniards are not racist”, but added that “a group, however small, can damage the image of a country”.
In any case, the controversy has forced the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, to write on social networks: “Zero tolerance for racism in football. Sport is based on the values of tolerance and respect. Hatred and xenophobia should have no place in our football or in our society”.
For his part, José Manuel Albares, the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, told a press conference in Brussels that there must be “zero tolerance” against racism, because “it is always something repugnant” that totally clashes with the values of sport.
Spanish society,” Albares stressed, “is a largely tolerant society, it is a society that clearly rejects racism and, of course, the Spanish government will not leave any doubt or cover for any attitude of racism, intolerance or rejection of pluralism”.
The minister referred to the statement issued by the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) in which, after attributing the insults to a “minority of hotheads”, he announced that he would propose to the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) and LaLiga to carry out a joint awareness campaign against racism and xenophobia aimed at fans. The CSD added that such incidents “are intolerable and absolutely condemnable not only in the sporting arena but also in a country like Spain, a land of welcome that makes diversity its flag”.
Albares also recalled that an investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office is open “to reach the ultimate consequences”, in reference to the decision of the Valencia Public Prosecutor’s Office to open an ex officio investigation to determine whether the insults constitute a hate crime.
The Spanish Embassy in Brazil wrote the same Sunday on social media: “We vehemently condemn the racist manifestations and attitudes and express our total solidarity with the player Vinicius Júnior for the intolerable and cowardly attacks suffered today, which in no way reflect the anti-racist positions of the absolute majority of the Spanish population“.
Yesterday, the diplomatic representation also reported on the action taken by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Valencia’s decision to “expel for life the fans who made racist gestures”. The Valencian club announced that a fan who made racist gestures at the player has already been identified by the police and work is underway to confirm the identity of others who may have been involved.
Spanish diplomatic circles are concerned about the consequences that incidents such as the one in Valencia could have for the image of our country. After the incident, Vinicius posted on Instagram that he is fed up with the situation and added on Twitter: “It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it’s normal, the Federation thinks it’s normal and the opponents encourage it. I am sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to the racists”.
According to the player, from Brazil they see Spain as a nation of racists. “A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export to the world the image of a racist country. I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists,” he said.
Yesterday, the footballer insisted again on Instagram that “these are not isolated cases” but “continuous episodes in several cities in Spain” in which he is forced to suffer racist attacks, and he backs up his claims with a video that captures those moments. Vinicius said that “the problem is very serious” and that statements “no longer work”. “Neither does blaming me to justify criminal acts. It’s not football, it’s inhumane,” he concluded.
