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Racist abuse against Vinicius Jr continues: FIFA boss Infantino offers 'full solidarity' to Real Madrid star

Vinicius Junior’s future at Real Madrid has come under the scanner after the Brazilian was forced to file a 10th racist abuse complaint to La Liga.

football Racist abuse against Vinicius Jr continues: FIFA boss Infantino offers 'full solidarity' to Real Madrid star snt
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First Published May 22, 2023, 5:19 PM IST

Vinicius Junior's future at Real Madrid is in doubt after the Brazilian felt compelled to report racial insults to La Liga for the tenth time. During a trip to Valencia, the 22-year-old forward experienced more jeers from the crowd; this season, such incidents have become all too common for the South American.

Vinicius confronted several of those who had abused him at the Mestalla and expressed grave concerns to the Spanish top division, but the appropriate authorities have not yet taken any concrete action.

That has led to the Real Madrid sensation posting on social media: "It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it's normal, the [Spanish Football] Federation does too and the opponents encourage it."

“I'm so sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi today belongs to racists. A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world," Vini Jr added.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has posted a stunning response to Vinicius, suggesting that the Brazilian is not cooperating with efforts to help him, leading the Blancos winger to suggest that Tebas is “equal to racists”.

Meanwhile, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has offered his 'full solidarity' to Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. Infantino expressed his support for Vinicius Junior while denouncing the racist taunts and using the occasion to advocate for the implementation of FIFA's three-step procedure for handling such situations in all leagues worldwide.

“Full solidarity to Vinicius,” Infantino said. “There is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation. Events during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid show that this needs to be the case."

"That is why the three-step process exists in FIFA competitions and it is recommended at all levels of football. Firstly, you stop the match, you announce it. Secondly, the players leave the pitch and the speaker announces that if the attacks continue, the match will be suspended. The match restarts, and then, thirdly, if the attacks continue, the match will stop and the three points will go to the opponent," the FIFA boss added.

"These are the rules that should be implemented in all countries and in all leagues. Clearly, this is easier said than done, but we need to do it and we need to support it through education," Infantino concluded.

Unfortunate developments have ESPN Brasil stating that Vinicius' future at Santiago Bernabeu is being questioned.

According to reports, his solicitors considered urging their client to leave because they believed La Liga and Real were not doing enough to protect the victim of discriminatory acts.

Vinicius is reportedly "at his limit" after receiving insults from Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans in the past, but he is holding onto his relationship with Madrid for the time being.

If people who are meant to have the Real Madrid star's back do nothing, that situation might change. The Brazil international is receiving support from friends, teammates, and former teammates as he works to bring about social change in Spain.

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