Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. turned into a flagbearer for anti-racism sentiments after he valiantly stood up to the incessant racial abuse he suffered throughout the 2022-23 season. The saga of his retaliation began with the player directly addressing the larger history of racism in La Liga, following which, he received boundless support from the soccer fraternity. The Brazilian has now been given the opportunity to have a direct impact on racist sentiments in The Beautiful Game.
Vini has officially been appointed as the head of a special anti-racism committee set up by FIFA. It will feature other prominent players, with the Brazil International leading the group. The information was relayed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who delivered the news to Vinicius in person.
🚨💣 BREAKING: VinĂcius Jr is announced as head of anti-racism committee by FIFA. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/Q3XBrU0tw6
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) June 15, 2023
As per Infantino, the committee will suggest strict punishments for racial offenders, which will be imposed by Soccer authorities worldwide. In addition to this, Infantino spoke emphatically about FIFA’s stance on the matter, “There will be no more football with racism in it. The games should be stopped immediately when it happens. Enough is enough.”
“We need to hear the players and what they need to work in a safer environment. We are very serious about it. We need harder punishments. We can’t tolerate any more racism in football. As president of FIFA, I feel I needed to talk personally with Vinicius about it,” He added.
“I have asked VinĂcius Jr. to be the LEADER of this group of players who will come up with stricter punishments against racism, which will be implemented by all football authorities,” Infantino concluded.
🚨Official:
FIFA has announced VinĂcius JĂşnior as the head of the anti-racism committee.
Gianni Infantino – “I have asked VinĂcius to lead this group of players who will present stricter punishments against racism, which will be implemented by all football authorities.” pic.twitter.com/0RqLuQMDMA
— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) June 15, 2023
Given FIFA’s sketchy history, it’s easy to interpret the move as a token gesture, aimed at gathering PR positives while fulfilling the bare minimum. But perhaps there’s reason to be optimistic, especially if the players themselves will play a significant role in resolving the malicious issue of racism. As for the honor handed to Vincius Jr; it is more than deserved.
Vinicius Jr’s has suffered racial abuse on countless occasions
The winger was in the crosshairs of racist crowds for almost the entirety of last season. He was subjected to ape-like grunts, chants of ‘mono’ (monkey), and various other racist connotations.
That wasn’t even the end of it, as the Brazilian also endured chants of ‘Morra, Vinicius’ (Die, Vinicius) during a match against Barcelona in March. The most abhorrent incident occurred in late January when an effigy of Vinicius was spotted hanging from a bridge in Madrid. Set up by Atletico Madrid supporters, the gesture acts as the perfect representation of how grave things got.
A cada rodada fora de casa uma surpresa desagradável. E foram muitas nessa temporada. Desejos de morte, boneco enforcado, muitos gritos criminosos… Tudo registrado.
Mas o discurso sempre cai em “casos isolados”, “um torcedor”. Não, não são casos isolados. São episódios… pic.twitter.com/aSCMrt0CR8
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 22, 2023
Matters had degraded to such a state that Vinicius received racial abuse on every other matchday, and eventually, a flash point arrived. It happened during a match against Valencia, which saw Vinicus receive horrid racial abuse from the Mestella crowd.
Exhausted by the heckling, he threatened to leave the pitch, only to be formally sent off by the referee in response. The incident brought a whirlwind of trouble to La Liga, with Vinicius Jr. campaigning for change from the front.