LaLiga Acts and Reports Racism Against Vinícius at Anoeta, It Won't Go Unpunished

One of Real Madrid's latest visits has been marred by unsportsmanlike conduct. The match between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid, first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, left several images for both teams ahead of the return leg. But it also left some racist insults, coming from certain sections of the stands at the txuri-urdin stadium.

The volume of those insults was such that Vinícius, the player targeted by these slurs, had to alert Sánchez Martínez about what was happening. The referee did not take long to react, although he did not stop the match in accordance with the anti-racism protocol that exists in Spanish soccer. Thus, he requested the broadcast of a clear message on the Reale Arena's big screen that seemed to resonate deeply.

Nevertheless, the racist insults to Vinícius seem to have been etched in the memory of more than one person. LaLiga's action, two weeks after that match in San Sebastián, demonstrates this. The entity presided over by Javier Tebas has issued an official statement in which it refers the complaint of these racist insults to Vinícius Jr.

LaLiga has informed the Ertzaintza about the behavior of some fans present at the Reale Arena "after gathering the necessary evidence to verify the existence of racist insults". The methods used to confirm "the authorship of these insults" are "the location and analysis of images and the performance of lip-reading expertise", yielding very clear conclusions.

Not a Step Back

After the controversy surrounding the Real Madrid footballer, LaLiga decided to dispel all the suspicions it had received internationally. The match at Mestalla in May 2023 marked a turning point in the anti-racist fight in our country's soccer. One of the flagships of this 'campaign,' in addition to Vinícius himself and Real Madrid, is LaLiga.

Its intervention following the racist insults like those suffered by the '7' verdeamarelo in a Copa del Rey match demonstrates the commitment of the league. LaLiga assures it remains "firm in its purpose to eradicate any manifestation of hate from the environment of our soccer", a task that is far from over judging by what happened in Anoeta.

The international attention that Vinícius has secured since then has been a great help in this anti-racism fight in Spanish soccer. LaLiga, as is usually the case, remains vigilant of all unsportsmanlike and anti-competitive behaviors in its own tournament, but it also doesn't miss the opportunity to act in other instances.

Only the union between the clubs and the organizing entities of our soccer can leave racism out of Spanish stadiums. This latest complaint by LaLiga against racism, despite being regarding a Copa del Rey match, is another demonstration of the commitment to its elimination.