As police announced earlier today, the arrest of 4 people in connection with the hanging of a doll wearing the jersey of Brazilian Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior on a bridge in the Spanish capital last January.
The arrests come two days after fresh racist slurs were leveled at the young striker during a Spanish Football League match at Valencia’s ground, which sparked condemnatory reactions from around the world.
And in Brazil, the lights of the iconic statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro were turned off for an hour on Monday evening in a show of solidarity with Vinicius Junior, who was the victim of racist insults during a national match in Spain.
The Brazilian government has called on Spanish and sporting authorities to sanction those responsible for the ‘racist attacks’ against the player, as FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed solidarity and support for the Real striker Madrid.
Junior accuses La Liga and Spain of racism after being abused from the stands in the loss to Valencia at the Mestalla stadium on Sunday.
Vinicius faced the fans who attacked him, and the game stopped for 10 minutes, then he faced Valencia players and was sent off in the second half.
Vinicius wrote on Twitter after the match: “It was not the first, second or third time. Racism is usual in the Spanish League. The competition management considers it normal. The Spanish Federation considers it as normal and the competitors encourage it.”
He added: “Before, the championship belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, and today it belongs to the racists.
La Liga said they would request all available footage to investigate the incident.
“If we identify a hate crime, we will take appropriate legal action,” she added in a statement.
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