He Metropolitan In recent years it has been the scene of high tension matches, due to the rivalry involved and the level displayed, between Athletic And Real Madrid. But several of them have been obscured by the treatment reserved for them. Vinicius Jr. by a certain sector of red and white supporters. Racist insults towards the Brazilian have become constant and “threaten” the derby on Sunday (9:00 p.m.).
In recent days, racist behavior has been promoted within the party and makes Vinicius a victim. On social networks, under the hashtag #MetropolitanWithMasksome fans promoted the idea of going to the stadium with masks to insult the Real Madrid striker without being identified.
These messages have caused concern among the authorities, since they even encourage not recording with cell phones during the match to avoid evidence that could lead to sanctions. League announced this Saturday that it would denounce and demand the “immediate” arrest of the instigators of this hate campaign to thus avoid a new embarrassing chapter in a story that goes back a long way.
One of the first serious incidents linked to racist acts against Vinicius at the Metropolitano occurred in September 2022. A few minutes before a derby between Atlético and Real Madrid, several supporters of the colchonero team were recorded at the outside the stadium as they sang. “Vinicius you are a monkey!”. This incident set a worrying precedent.
The situation did not improve the following season. During the cup derby which ended with Atlético’s victory, racist chants against the Brazilian were heard again. Furthermore, in the run-up to a meeting of Champions between Atlético and Inter Milanthe situation reaches a new level of contempt when cries of “Vinicius, chimpanzee!” » are heard. These insults made it clear that the problem was deep and would not be easy to resolve.
The inflatable doll that the ultras attached to Vinicius’ jersey and to the player himself
However, the most serious episode occurred in the run-up to another cup derby, corresponding to the 2022/23 season. That morning, a doll wearing Vinicius’ shirt appeared hanging from a bridge near Real Madrid’s sports city, Valdebébas. This act was widely condemned by society and the authorities, and the police investigation led to the finding of four suspects, including three members of the ultra group. Forehead Athletic. Currently, they face a sentence of up to four years in prison for these events. This incident has led many people to question the effectiveness of anti-racism measures in football stadiums.
Vinicius was not the only player victim of racist insults at the Metropolitano. In May of that same year, Nicholas Williamsplayer of Athleticalso suffered racist verbal attacks. After hearing monkey noises as he prepared to turn a corner, Williams reported the incident. “I went to turn the corner and I heard monkey noises,” said the footballer, who also claimed his identity while celebrating a goal. Atlético de Madrid, in order to react quickly, identified the supporter responsible for the insults.
The locker room is with Vinicius
Vinicius, throughout these incidents, has shown a clear and firm stance on what he sees as the response to racism in football. The Brazilian has already declared his desire to leave the field if the racist insults continue. “At the club we talk about it more often. Not only me, but all the players said that if this happens, next time we will all have to leave the field, so everyone who insulted us will have to pay a sum much higher penalty,” the striker said in a recent interview with. cnn.
The most resounding case of his career occurred during a match in Valencia, in 2023, where he was also the subject of racist insults: “After the match, after thinking about it, we all said the right thing to do was to leave the field “But since you are there to defend a team, we know that not everyone in the stadium is racist and they were only there to watch the. match,” he said.
Vinicius names one of the supporters who insulted him at Mestalla on May 21.
Europe Press
The Real Madrid coach, Charles Ancelottialso spoke out on the subject, being the first to point out that he would make the decision to remove the team from the field if circumstances required it. After the Mestalla incidents, Ancelotti said: “I may have the responsibility in the future to remove the player from the field and also to remove the team from the field. I hope I don’t have to make this radical decision because there is a judge on the ground who must have this kind of responsibility.”
Vinicius is not alone in this fight and colleagues like Danny Carvajal They expressed support for stopping parties from any acts of racism. The Real Madrid captain was clear in his position: “It does not seem like an insane measure to leave the pitch and not play again until this person is located.” Carvajal, who spoke from the national team’s concentration after Vinicius’ interview to cnnstressed the importance of combating racism in stadiums and welcomed La Liga’s efforts to improve action protocols.
Protocol and first sentences
To try to stop this type of behavior, League implemented a specific protocol for cases of racism. Under this protocol, if a racist incident occurs during a match, the home team must broadcast a message over the public address system asking fans to stop their behavior. If the insults persist, the referee has the power to suspend the match and send the players to the locker room. To this was added this season since the FIFA the referee’s gesture in the shape of an “X” to warn of a racist situation before taking action.
Real Madrid calmly faces the visit to the Metropolitano, and specifically what can happen in the stands to their player, Vinicius. Carlo Ancelotti did not evaluate the network’s campaign and stressed that “this is an issue that we do not have to worry about”, saying that there are other organizations that deal with it, “as it is right.”
The potential attacker should know that racist attacks inside a football stadium are already condemned, which was not the case until recently. Two recent examples are proof of this: a fan of Majorcawho insulted Vinicius and Chukwuezewas sentenced to one year in prison and banned from entering a camp for three years; Another person faces a possible fine of 60,001 euros, as well as a ban on access to sports facilities for two years, as the author of several racist messages against the Real Madrid player.
These two cases follow what has been recognized as the first conviction in Spain for racist insults in football. This happened last June, when three individuals were convicted of a crime against the moral integrity of art. 173.1 of the Penal Code with aggravated discrimination for racist reasons (art. 22.4 CP) for the insults against Vinicius in Mestalla, in May 2023. They were sentenced to eight months in prison, unable to access a stadium for two years and costs. of the procedure. The crackdown on racism in Spanish football has begun.
