Brazilian footballer Vinícius Junior said that if Spain does not take measures to combat racism and the situation does not change, the country should not host the World Cup in 2030. The player, who has received racist insults for years, argued in an interview that footballers could feel uncomfortable or insecure.
“Until 2030, there is room for evolution. I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult a person because of the colour of their skin. If things don’t evolve in 2030, I think we will have to move this,” he said. Spain will host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco.
In Vinícius’s opinion, players may not feel “comfortable” or “safe” playing in a country “where they can suffer from racism”. “I want to do everything I can to change things because there are many people in Spain, or the majority, who are not racist. But there is a small group that ends up damaging the image of a country where it is good to live,” he explained.
Years of racist insults in the countryside
The player has been subjected to racist insults for years. Vinícius has spoken on several occasions about the impunity that exists in this regard: “It is not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition finds it normal, the Federation too and the opponents encourage it,” he said on another occasion.
The footballer has already stressed in the past that Spain is “a beautiful country”, which welcomed him, but which “agreed to export the image of a racist country to the rest of the world”. “I am sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. And unfortunately, because of everything that has happened, I cannot defend it. “I agree”, he lamented.
