Ahead of Spain’s upcoming friendly match against Brazil, Dani Carvajal has addressed the issue of racism within the country, particularly in light of recent incidents involving his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius, who has spoken out about feeling targeted for racial abuse, will come face to face with Carvajal and the Spanish national team at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite these concerns, Carvajal firmly stated that Spain is not a racist country, pointing to the high level of integration and diversity he has experienced throughout his life.
Growing up in a humble neighborhood in Leganes, Carvajal emphasized that he has always been surrounded by individuals from various backgrounds and skin colors, without any issues. While acknowledging the unfortunate reality of racism in football stadiums, he stressed the importance of keeping such individuals away from matches.
Carvajal condemned the behavior of those who use football as a platform for their anger and expressed his hope that measures would be implemented to eradicate racism from sports venues, labeling it as the darkest side of the beautiful game.
“I don’t believe that Spain is a racist country. We have a strong sense of integration,” Carvajal stated during a media briefing ahead of the Spain-Brazil match. “I have grown up with friends from different nationalities and skin colors, and it has never been a problem. It is truly unfortunate that there are individuals who attend football matches to vent their anger. It is a disgrace. Hopefully, steps will be taken to ensure that such individuals are not allowed into stadiums, as racism has no place in sports.”
