Real Madrid’s forward Vinicius Junior has said the only way to fight racism is by punishing those who are responsible.
Vinicius urged for more action after Brazilian basketball player Yago Dos Santos was subjected to racial abuse during his team’s EuroCup defeat at Joventut Badalona on Tuesday.
“Let’s start to punish those people or we’ll go back to how it was before,” Vinicius tweeted in response to comments regarding the latest racist incident.
“But as long as we don’t do anything, we’ll continue fighting for ourselves.”
In the case of Dos Santos, video cameras captured the moment a Joventut female fan shouted “monkey” at him.
Spanish club Joventut said it will cooperate with authorities while Brazil’s Basketball Confederation (CBB) condemned the episode and asked for those responsible to be punished.
A CBB statement said: “The crime is recorded on video and identification is quick and easy. The CBB hopes that the Spanish authorities act with the rigor of the law and that crimes like this no longer go unpunished. Yago, we are with you, and we are sure that NOTHING will stop you.
“The Brazilian National Team is your home; Brazilian basketball loves you and you can always count on us!”
Earlier this week, LaLiga filed a complaint in a legal court over racist insults or chanting against Vinicius.
The latest incident was a fan shouting racist chants at the player during Real Madrid’s 1-0 league defeat at Real Mallorca on Sunday.
Out of the six complaints that LaLiga have filed, three have been dismissed, two are still being processed, including one last month when a Vinicius shirt was draped over a mannequin that was hung from a bridge outside Real Madrid’s training ground.
“We are doing what the law allows us to do,” Spain’s Sports Council (CSD) president Jose Manuel Franco said.
“A few days ago, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Anti-Violence Commission met, and I am convinced, without being too optimistic, that in the medium, even in the short term, we will have tangible results from this joint effort.”
