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- Vin铆cius, the Brazilian forward who is Black, has been subjected to hate attacks since he arrived in Spain in 2018
- "It is a problem of Spanish football,鈥� said Ancelotti
MADRID: The hate attacks against Vin铆cius J煤nior are a problem of Spanish soccer and must be dealt with, his Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
Vin铆cius, the Brazilian forward who is Black, has been subjected to hate attacks since he arrived in Spain in 2018. The most recent were on Sunday at a Spanish league game in Mallorca. Last month, his effigy hung off a bridge in Madrid before the derby against Atletico Madrid.
鈥淭he question I ask is this: What does Vinicius have to defend himself against? What do his teammates have to defend themselves against?鈥� Ancelotti said on Tuesday on the eve of Madrid鈥檚 debut at the Club World Cup in Morocco.
鈥淚s Vin铆cius the problem? It seems like the problem is Vin铆cius, but the problem is what happens around him. Period.
鈥淚t is a problem of Spanish football. I am a part of Spanish football and I think it鈥檚 a problem that we have to solve. Because it seems that Vinicius is the culprit, but he is being the victim of something that I don鈥檛 understand.鈥�
Vin铆cius has been outspoken about the insults and often complained on social media of how he鈥檚 been treated.
He was also targeted because of his dances while celebrating goals, and recently his teammates called attention to the high number of fouls he was receiving in games. Last week, Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista was sent off after a vicious foul on Vin铆cius in a league game.
鈥淰in铆cius is an incredible person, with great values,鈥� teammate Federico Valverde said. 鈥淗e is different than most on the field, he enjoys soccer in his own way, in a happy way. I don鈥檛 think the rival fans are thinking about the person, they don鈥檛 realize that he could be the son of anyone who is in the stands. People need to be responsible for what they do, they shouldn鈥檛 take it out on a 22-year-old. You need to have respect.鈥�
Racism in Spanish soccer has attracted more attention recently, but little has been done to punish anyone.
The Spanish league was investigating the attacks on Sunday at Mallorca after TV images showed someone calling him a monkey. Vin铆cius was also insulted after the match when he stopped to pose for photos and sign autographs for fans.
Authorities have yet to find those responsible for hanging Vin铆cius鈥� effigy last month, and so far teams have not been punished for the racist insults inside their stadiums.
The first trial against a fan who racially insulted a player in Spain is expected to begin this year following remarks by an Espanyol supporter against Athletic Bilbao forward I帽aki Williams a few years ago.
Mallorca defender Antonio Ra铆llo said last year that Vin铆cius was using the card of racism when accused of provoking opponents. Other players have complained of the Brazilian鈥檚 attitude on the field as well.
Madrid will face Egyptian club Al Ahly on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Club World Cup. Madrid have won the world club title a record seven times, including three times when the competition was called the Intercontinental Cup.