Vinicius Junior has served as the recipient of racial taunts multiple times in the past few years. In response to these, the Real Madrid star has called for action, and even though more severe penalties are beginning to be applied, he still wants more.
In a recent interview, Vinicius Jr. discussed racism in Spanish football with CNN (via Marca) and urged the Spanish Football Federation to safeguard him and other victims. He said, “If the situation with racism in Spain does not improve before 2030, the World Cup would have to be moved to another location.”
The Real Madrid winger added, “Until 2030, we have a very large margin for change. I hope that Spain can evolve and understand how serious it is to insult a person because of the colour of their skin, because if in 2030 things haven’t changed, I think we have to change the venue of the World Cup, because if a player doesn’t feel comfortable or safe playing in a country where he can suffer racism, then it becomes very complicated.”
“It is a small group that ends up affecting the image of a country” : Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jr. repeated his promise to assist the authorities in the fight against racism, which he has made on a regular basis, during the CNN interview. He said, “I want to do everything possible for things to change, because there are many people in Spain, the majority, who are not racist. It is a small group that ends up affecting the image of a country in which it is very good to live.”
The Brazil attacker concluded by saying that, “I love playing for Real Madrid. I love Spain, it has the best conditions for me to live here with my family. We hope that things can improve – they have already – but they can improve much more, and by 2030, the cases of racists and racism can and must decrease.”