The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has criticized Spanish Primera Liga president Javier Tebas for backhandedly criticizing Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, 23, who was the victim of racism during a match.
“You want to blame the victim, go to hell,” Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes wrote on Twitter on Wednesday (Aug. 23). The tweet also contained strong profanity.
“It’s unfair to call Spain and the Primera Liga racist,” Tebas said on social media, adding, “The Primera Liga fights racism in the strongest way possible. We want to find the perpetrators, however many they may be, before the relevant authorities that have the power to punish them. We cannot allow the reputation of the Primera Liga, a symbol of community unity, to be tarnished,” he wrote.
Previously, when Vinicius complained of racism, he was criticized for his attitude, saying, “We tried to explain the cases of racism, but you didn’t attend the two dates,” and “It’s important to get it right before criticizing and insulting the Primera Liga.”
The incident occurred during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid in the 35th round of the 2022-23 Spanish Primera Liga at the Mestalla in Valencia, Spain on April 22. During the second half, Vinicius was involved in an altercation with Valencia fans, and according to local media outlets such as Marca, some Valencia fans mimicked monkeys with racist messages directed at him. The attackers didn’t stop there, throwing lighters and chanting racist slogans such as “Die Vinicius” and “Monkey”.
After the game, Vinicius posted on social media, “This is not the first time this has happened. Not the second, not the third. I think racism is common and normal in the Primera Liga. It’s encouraged,” and criticized the Primera Liga, saying that “the place where Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi played, now belongs to the racists”.
“I’m sorry for the Spaniards, but in my country, Brazil, Spain is perceived as a country of racism,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but here it happens every week. I can’t even stop it. But I am strong and I will fight racists, even if I have a long way to go.”
The Primera Liga secretariat said it was “investigating the matter and will take appropriate action if racism is identified,” adding that it would “accelerate the identification of individuals or groups responsible for racist behavior inside and outside the stadium.” The Spanish Football Federation also said, “The discrimination suffered by Vinicius must be eradicated. We demand the immediate eradication of this unfortunate incident and will not delay this in terms of sporting rules and sanctions.” Neither the Primera Liga secretariat nor the Spanish Football Federation took a different stance than Tebas, who criticized Vinicius.메이저놀이터
The Brazilian government, as well as the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, are not going to ignore the situation. According to Spain’s Marca, Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Flavio Dino said, “We are looking at the possibility of applying the principle of extraterritoriality. The Criminal Code stipulates that in some exceptional circumstances, Brazilian law can be applied to crimes committed against Brazilians abroad.”