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Spanish police acted on Tuesday following the latest case of abuse against Vinicius Junior, arresting seven people accused of racially abusing the Real Madrid player.
Spanish soccer officials also took action, fining Valencia 45,000 euros ($48,500 US) and closing part of the team’s stadium for the next five games.
The arrest came after support for Vinicius after he said he was abused at Valencia. The case sparked widespread reactions from sports figures and government officials in Spain and around the world.
The part of the Mestalla Stadium that will be closed is the origin of the insult to Vinicius, behind one of the goals. This is also where the club’s die-hard fans usually gather.
WATCH | Vinicius Junior victim of racial abuse:
Many people have been arrested in connection with the racist incident targeting Vinicius Junior, a professional soccer player in Spain. Some of the arrests were related to violent chants during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Valencia.
The Spanish federation’s competition committee also made the unusual decision to overturn the red card shown to Vinicius after an altercation with a Valencia player at the end of Sunday’s match. The committee said a video review failed to show the referee the entire altercation, including the part where Vinicius was grabbed from behind by an opponent.
Vinicius has complained that his red card was a reward for the racists who insulted him.
“This is an important moment, the moment to take drastic measures,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday. “Now that the problem has visibility, institutions should take this opportunity to try to fix this problem.”
All seven were arrested on suspicion of hate crimes, police said. No one has been publicly identified, and police have not discussed the length of the arrest.
‘What has changed?’
Vinicius, who is black, has faced repeated racist taunts since arriving in Spain five years ago and especially this season after he started celebrating his goals by dancing.
The 22-year-old Brazilian has criticized Spanish football for not doing more to stop racism. He posted a message on Twitter on Tuesday saying racism existed in Spanish stadiums even before he was born, sharing a picture of former Real Madrid and Brazil defender Roberto Carlos who was subjected to racist insults in 1997.
“What has changed so far?” Vinicius asked.
The game against Valencia was temporarily halted after Vinicius said a fan behind one of the goals called him a monkey and made monkey gestures at him. Vinicius considered leaving the field but ended up playing on.
A statue of Vinicius was hung around his neck on the morning of the derby match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Along with a banner that reads “Madrid hates Real.”
The perpetrators used a black figure named Vinicius, tied a rope around his neck and hung him from a bridge while it was still dark in the Spanish capital.
Police said the three arrested belonged to one group of Atletico fans, and the others were followers of the group. Some have previous bookings with the police for other crimes.
The men arrested in Madrid were aged between 19 and 24. Authorities said some had previously been identified during the match as being at risk of violence. Police shared images of him arriving in handcuffs and being escorted by agents on Tuesday.
Spanish media said police were using security cameras to identify the perpetrators but no action had been taken so far. Valencia and the authorities are working together to identify and detain the suspects in the match against Madrid. The club said it banned the suspects from the stadium for life.
Act of solidarity
The lights at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro were turned off Monday night in a show of solidarity for Vinicius, who missed training on Tuesday due to a minor injury.
“This is a moving act of solidarity,” Vinicius said on Twitter. “But more than anything, what I want is to inspire and bring more light to our fight.”
Vinicius is grateful for the support he has received.
“I know who you are,” he said. “Try me, because the good is the majority and I will not give up. I have a purpose in life, and if I have to suffer, so that the next generation does not have to experience these types of situations, I am ready and prepared.”
Real Madrid reported Valencia’s case as a hate crime, and club president Florentino Perez said on Tuesday his club “will not tolerate any more racist incidents against the players.” He called for the restructuring of referees in the country.
The Spanish league has filed nine similar criminal complaints of racial abuse against Vinicius in the last two seasons, most of which were dismissed by prosecutors.
The league said Tuesday it would seek to increase its authority to issue sanctions in cases of hate crimes during games.
Supporters have been fined and banned from the stadium for abusing Vinicius, but so far only Mallorca fans can be judged.
The Spanish federation, the Spanish league and the government’s top sports authority on Tuesday launched an anti-racism campaign. It will include the messages “racists out of football” and “together against racism” in broadcasts, logos and billboards and player armbands.
“The three institutions want to unanimously show their absolute and unequivocal rejection of racist behavior,” they said in a statement, adding that their goal is “to unite the power of everyone: institutions, clubs, athletes and fans with the aim of eliminating racism and its agents from football us.”
The president of the Spanish league apologized
Spanish soccer league president Javier Tebas apologized to Vinicius Junior on Wednesday for what he said was an attempt to dismiss racists who joined the Brazil forward at the weekend.
Cuts repeated in various interviews with Brazilian TV channels that he was sorry for his comments, saying they were “ill-timed” and “misunderstood.”
Now the Spanish executive regrets his comments.
“I have to say that I was wrong,” Tebas told TV Globo. “I have to apologize and apologize for the tweet. We love Vinicius and we have appealed to the court, it has been a long time. We are here, we want to defend Vinicius and we will continue to do so.”
“If this tweet was misinterpreted, and it certainly happened because many people took it in a different way, I have to apologize. And nothing else,” added Tebas.
After Tebas’ tweet on Sunday, Vinicius hit back.
“Instead of criticizing racists, the president of the league appeared on social media to attack me,” Vinicius said. “I’m not your friend talking about racism with you. I want action and punishment.”
The Brazilian player did not immediately respond to Tebas’ apology.
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