“At my dad’s funeral, FIFA president Gianni Infantino came to me and said that every country in this world name a stadium after your father. I think that’s beautiful and deserved. More than deserved. However, how much powerful would it be if my father’s legacy were not a stadium but a movement, a tangible action or a law that fights racism. Something that prevents a Vinicius Junior facing what my father faced in 1958!” she added.
The forward was subjected to abuse by home fans at the Mestalla Stadium, in a game where he was shown a red card for a confrontation with the home players and fans. While Vinicius was pointing out the fans who were insulting him, the game was held up for around 10 minutes. The stoppage led to an altercation between Vinicius and some Valencia players. During this, he was grabbed around the neck by a Valencia player. He was then sent off by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea for striking an opponent.
The card was later rescinded.
The incident led to a furore, particularly in Brazil, where, on Tuesday, about 100 Brazilian protestors gathered outside the Spanish consulate in Sao Paulo to condemn the abuse of one of their stars.
Preto e imponente. O Cristo Redentor ficou assim há pouco. Uma ação de solidariedade que me emociona. Mas quero, sobretudo, inspirar e trazer mais luz à nossa luta.
Agradeço demais toda a corrente de carinho e apoio que recebi nos últimos meses. Tanto no Brasil quanto mundo… pic.twitter.com/zVBcD4eF8k
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 22, 2023
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Brazil also switched off the lights on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer for an hour on Monday in a display of solidarity with Vinicius.
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Back in Spain, seven people accused of different hate crimes against Vinicius were detained by the Spanish police on Tuesday while the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) revealed that it had fined Valencia 45,000 euros for the action of their fans besides slapping the team with a partial stadium ban for five matches.
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