Four individuals have been arrested in Spain for hanging an effigy of footballer Vinicius Junior off a bridge in Madrid in January. The arrest took place only 24 hours after Real Madrid filed a hate crime complaint for racist abuse during a La Liga clash with Valencia in which Vinicius was targeted.
After the abusive incident, which saw Vinicius being subjected to a torrent of racist insults, the Brazilian claimed that ‘racism is normal’ in La Liga. He further described it as a competition ‘belonging to racists’. Vinicius’ on-field treatment is not isolated, as he claimed to be suffering on a consistent basis in a country that his native Brazil considers ‘a country of racists’.
The effigy of the footballer was hung by a group of Atletico Madrid supporters from a bridge in January, with a banner below reading ‘Madrid hates Real’. While Real Madrid called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, no arrests had been made until now.
The abuse of Vinicius during the Valencia match continued despite his complaints being raised with officials. The game was even halted at one point, incensing the crowd further, before Vinicius lost his cool in stoppage time when he was grabbed around the throat by a Valencia player and was eventually sent off.
La Liga President, Javier Tebas, was criticised by Vinicius for his response, as he was more critical of the player for his behaviour than he was of those using racist language. However, both FIFA and Valencia pledged to take measures against the perpetrators.
In a statement released, Real Madrid condemned the abuse of Vinicius and stated their belief that it was a hate crime. Their statement reads, “What happened at the Mestalla is a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law.”
Despite the ongoing issue of racism, Vinicius has no intention of leaving Real Madrid and is determined to continue playing for the Spanish club.
