Club World Cup: Vinícius Junior, the dribbling crack who is harassed by kicks and racism in Spain

real Madrid is about to play another final of Club World Cup, with the concrete possibility of becoming a planetary monarch for the eighth time in history. But in Spain, these days, there is talk of something else: the central issue that Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Merengue, has to deal with is the situation the Brazilian is experiencing. Vinicius Juniorwhich in recent weeks has become the target at which footballers and fans of rival teams aim with particular animosity.

“It seems that Vinícius is the problem and in reality it is everything that happens around him. It is a problem of Spanish football. I am part of Spanish football and we have to sort it out. It seems that he is the culprit, but he is the victim of something that I do not understand ”, reflected the DT this Tuesday in the press room of the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat, where he explained on the eve of the match against Al-Ahly that he would end up winning 4 -1, with goals from Vini.

This conflict around the Brazilian to which Ancelotti was referring is not new, but it has intensified in recent weeks, with excessive harshness and arrogance by some opponents and overloaded with hostility by some fans, often anchored in training racists. The most visible event took place on 26 January, a few hours before the derby against Atlético de Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (which the Merengues won 3-1, also with a goal from Vini), when a doll inflatable with striker shirt He was hung from a bridge near the Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas, simulating a hanging.

A week later, during a match against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu, Vinícius was the object of a very violent kick his compatriot Gabriel Paulista, who was kicked out and received two suspension dates for it. “I’m not proud. I’m an outspoken player, but a noble one. I respect Vinícius and it wasn’t my intention to hurt him,” the defender apologized. Meanwhile, hundreds of users on social networks celebrated the move and elevated the attacker to “idol” or “hero” status.

Against Mallorca at the Son Moix last Sunday, the Brazilian was embroiled in a battle with defenders Antonio Raíllo and Pablo Maffeo which included name-calling, scuffles, name-calling and insults. During the 90 minutes, he received 10 fouls, a record during a match in one of Europe’s top five leagues this season.. The two defenders are booked, but also the attacker for having trampled on Maffeo. Because of that yellow card, he will have to meet a suspension date against Osasuna, after the Club World Cup.

THE hostility He didn’t limit himself to the field: many fans lashed out at him and some even shouted at him: “You’re a fucking monkey”. Vinícius responded by kissing the Scudetto on his shirt in front of the crowd as he left the dressing room at half-time. There was no shortage of those who thought that a offense. “Everything that has happened and is happening is not his fault. He just wants to play soccer. Then there is an environment that provokes, rivals that provoke. The focus must change because not everything is Vinícius’ fault”, Ancelotti defended him after the duel. “An environment is being created that does not favor anyone, neither him nor the public who make fun of the boy without knowing why”, he warned defender Nacho.

THE suddenness of rivals and the celebration of actions such as that of Gabriel Paulista seem to find justification in a curious principle of football ethics: Vinícius is a provocateur because he smiles when he plays, because he dances when he celebrates his goals and because he dribbles. and dribbles a lot. He is the leader of the list of setters in the Spanish championship: he has 55 (those who follow him, Javi Galán and Samuel Chukwueze, have 33). This behavior of the footballer born in São Gonçalo, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, would constitute an outrage punishable by hostility of all kinds.

The kicks, elbows, grabs and shoves your co-workers use to try discipline him they are accompanied by the chorus of suspensions that descend from the stands of the stadiums where Madrid perform and which begin as soon as the player’s name is heard over the loudspeakers when the line-ups are announced (and sometimes even before). As if it were a tour of discrimination, racist attacks are heard in every match outside the Bernabéu. What happened on Sunday in Mallorca was no exception.

On December 30, during a meeting before Valladolid For the 15th round of the championship, the Brazilian national footballer was replaced three minutes from the end. When he was walking towards the bank near the north end of José Zorrila, he received insults such as “black bastard” and “black shit”. Also, some fans screamed trying to mimic the howl of a monkey. Three months earlier, when the bus carrying the Real team was arriving at the Estadio Metropolitano for a classic match against Atlético, the striker was greeted by a group of 500 screaming fans “You are a monkey, Vinícius, you are a monkey”.

There had also been attacks of this type last season. In March 2022, during the previous visit to Mallorca, a group located at the northern end of Son Moix yelled and a fan yelled at them “go pick bananas”. And in October 2021, having left the field of the Camp Nou In a clash with Barcelona, ​​​​a boy made movements that mimicked those of a monkey and a fan blurted out “macaque” at him.

The attacks did not go unnoticed. More than once, the player has come across some sympathizers who harass him. “Racists continue to go to stadiums and see the best club in the world up close and the League continues to do nothing”, he complained on December 31, a day after the insults in Valladolid. “I will continue with my head held high and celebrate my victories and those of Real Madrid. In the end it’s my fault, ”he joked on his Instagram account.

Beyond the criticisms of the former Flamengo player, the Lega Nazionale Calcio Professionisti has adopted the administrative measures deemed appropriate: in all cases, it has filed criminal complaints for i hate crimes (accompanied by audiovisual material proving the attacks) and also submitted briefs to the Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport.

So far, none of these procedures has resulted in a fine for those responsible. As for the insults at the Metropolitano Stadium, the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office filed a complaint in early December. Even if he estimated that the songs had been “unpleasant, inappropriate and disrespectful”specifying that they had been pronounced in the context of “a football match of maximum rivalry, together with other derogatory or mocking allusions marked by that sporting competition”.

The complaint made in Mallorca was also archived: the Balearic Islands Prosecutor’s Office considered that the insults and howls were “profane and despicable attitudes, as well as vexatious and absolutely repudiable”, but that they did not fall within a criminal figure. And the cause in Barcelona also did not thrive. In that case, the Prosecution of Hate filed it because “the perpetrators of the facts have not been identified”. The same fate followed reports of racist attacks against other footballers such as the brothers Iñaki and Nico Williams (Athletic Club de Bilbao) and defender Carlos Akapo (at that time in Cádiz).

With no favorable responses for the player from the Spanish judicial and sporting authorities, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) decided to intercede and sent a letter to FIFA, UEFA and Conmebol asking them to take stronger and awareness-raising actions to deal with to these facts. “It is essential to fight racism firmly. Cases like those that occurred with Vinícius Junior and other athletes are unacceptable. They have reached a point that goes beyond the attack on dignity and already threatens the physical integrity of the victims,” ​​CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues warned on Thursday at the opening of the FIFA Football Tribunal Seminar to be held in Rio de Janiero.

And in the meantime, Vinícius, with his 22 years in tow, continues to play in one of the most powerful clubs on the planet, who paid 45 million euros for his token and which arrived a few days after he came of age. Last season he scored 22 goals, provided 20 assists and stood out in the team that won the league and Champions League. In this campaign, his performance and his numbers decreased (such as those of the Meringue). Only he knows how much the hostile treatment he is receiving has played a part.

A clue to unravel this dilemma can be found in the considerations made this Tuesday by a colleague of his, Federico Valverde (just two years older than the Brazilian), when asked about the situation of I came, who he called “an incredible person, who has many values”. “We are talking about racism. You don’t think he’s 22 and he’s a person like any other. He could be the son of any older fan who is in the stands. You have to think a little more. Some must have so many problems at home and take it out on a young man who is enjoying football in his own way and deserves respect,” the Uruguayan reflected.