Vinicius Jr has been a target for opposition fans and players for much of his time in Spain, but particularly this season. The Brazilian forward was again subject on the receiving end of a number of brutal fouls from Mallorca players during Sunday’s La Liga defeat, while he was also subjected to racial abuse.
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has had enough of his player being targeted, and he called on the Spanish footballing authorities to take action. Athletic Club striker Raul Garcia, who played for Los Blancos’ city rivals Atletico Madrid for seven years earlier in his career, also believes that more needs to be done to tackle racism in the sport, as per Cadena SER.
“We talk about the issue of racism, which we have already experienced (with Vinicius), which is too serious to be spoken about lightly. About the fans, I think their lack of respect is very normalised and it shouldn’t be like that.”
However, Garcia also believes that his fellow professional can do better to help alleviate the situation.
“I think both Vinicius and the fans can do things better. I think you have to put sanity in. When there are several parties involved, I think all parties can do things better. Just be aware that the more hype you give (the issue), the bigger the issue is going to be, and worse things are going to happen.”
It remains to be seen whether action will be taken by La Liga or the RFEF over these incidents against Vinicius, but the sad reality is that they appear unlikely to end anytime soon.
Image via Soccrates
Refreshing to see Raul Garcia talk some sense, its a becoming a downward spiral.
But remember that it all started with some people disliking Vinis dance (I know, its terrible to see others express joy if youre a profoundly miserable person) and its just escalated more and more. Its a simple Newtons 3rd law, should Vini just keep taking abuse?
Neymar was way more protected when he played here, and he goofed around more than Vini did. So what changed?