Racism Requires No VAR

Don't come up with that old cliché that "there are racist Spaniards, but Spain is not racist." I know that all generalizations are wrong, but in this case, to hell with "political correctness." There are extreme situations that demand harsh and forceful reactions. Look at the forest and not just the tree. Spain is racist.

The recurrence of racism is a fact. In Europe, the issue goes beyond what is tolerable, if there should be any degree of tolerance at all. After all the global reaction, which went beyond the Mestalla stadium, Europe, and especially Spain, must take action. Enough of bureaucratic statements sympathetic to the cause of racism. Statements such as "we will investigate whether the offense actually took place." Racism does not need VAR to check for gross errors by people. It simply exists and manifests itself in various ways. The era of formal apologies is over. Now, strong and real action is required. It is not enough to arrest a few aggressors. Effective measures are needed, as Europe is accustomed to doing when it suits them. I was stunned to learn that in Spain, racism is not even classified as a crime. It is called a hate crime. Well, I feel hatred when I see these regrettable scenes on television and the clumsy and prejudiced attitudes. Racism exists to a high degree in Europe because it is natural, acceptable, and trivialized, unimportant there.

To give you an idea, with Vinicius Jr. alone this season (22/23), there have already been 11 cases of racism in different stadiums. From north to south, east to west, the examples are multiplying and becoming increasingly aggressive. In the first cases, it was "just a few idiots" shouting "monkey." Then they started throwing bananas onto the field. Later, they hung a doll wearing the player's jersey, and now an entire stadium is calling the boy a monkey. To hell with political correctness again. The Spanish people, who are racist, need to give a dignified and forceful response. If they don't, they will be labeled as racists. If racism happens to this degree with an idol from Spain's biggest soccer team, imagine what happens to other black people living in Europe.

I don't want to equate this case with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the comparison serves to show how swift and harsh reactions can be when Europe mobilizes.

Spanish League's reaction makes the crime even worse

In addition to the insults, I am appalled by the position taken by the authorities and the Spanish press after this criminal act. It is even more shocking and horrifying. It is disgusting to hear the president of the Spanish league, Javier Tebas—an avowed supporter of the radical right who preaches, among other things, the end of the criminalization of domestic violence, criticizes same-sex marriage, and supports ethnic cleansing in Spain—accuse the offended player of tarnishing the name of the league and Real Madrid. I don't even know what to say to this disqualified person. The Spanish championship will end soon, it is in its final rounds, and soon the teams will go on vacation. I am sure that the issue will cool down after the end of the championship.

To make matters worse, yesterday the CBF announced a friendly match for the Brazilian men's soccer team in Spain on the next FIFA date in June. Unless the CBF is planning to get back at the Spanish, for example by only calling up black players and displaying a giant banner condemning La Liga and claiming that Spain is racist, this friendly match makes no sense whatsoever.

There is no silver bullet against racism. The issue goes beyond punishing fans, clubs, and leagues, but it must start there. Mastalla needs to be banned. Valencia needs to be automatically relegated. UEFA and FIFA need to shake up soccer, which is watched by billions of people. Real Madrid needs to take a stand, stop being silent, and if it does not support the player 100%, it should let him play elsewhere, as this will send a clear message that Spanish society does not allow black people, poor people from the third world, who rebel against racism, to succeed. They either accept racism and remain silent, as so many others do, or they go and play elsewhere. Soccer must be immediately halted when there is a racist act.

I hope that Vinicius Jr.'s actions will truly be a turning point in the fight against racism worldwide. Just like Rosa Parks, the black activist who, in 1955, in Alabama (USA), refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, or Martin Luther King, who led a movement to allow black people to use a swimming pool at a hotel in 1965.

The problem, of course, lies with Spanish society, with Europe, and with the trivialization of racism there.