Vinicius was sent off against Valencia for hitting Hugo Duro after fans at the Mestalla were singing racist chants against him.
In reaction to the racial abuse against the Brazilian winger, the Spanish and Brazilian football federations announced their plan for a friendly match on Tuesday.
The proposed friendly match which will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 is aimed at combating racism, after global outrage at the abuse of the Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
The racial attack on the 22-year-old Brazilian by Valencia supporters in May provoked worldwide outrage.
Luis Rubiales, Spanish federation president and Ednaldo Rodrigues, Brazilian FA president, showed their plans for the matchup at Real Madrid’s stadium, together with Spain internationals Ansu Fati and Rodrigo Moreno.
Rubiales in a news conference said: “I want to announce that the match against racism between Spain and Brazil will be at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
“It’s the ideal stage for an encounter between two of the best teams in the world.”
Rubiales also confirmed that the match that would take place in March depends largely on Spain’s qualification for the Euro 2024, as those dates would be potentially needed for play-offs if not.
“(The game is) a way of saying ‘enough’,” Rodrigues added.
“It protects joy in our football, (and shows) this intolerance and attitude are unacceptable.”
Vinicius shared a strongly-worded statement after he was racially abused, saying: “Today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.”
Rodrigo, who was born in Brazil, was happy about the arrangements for the match, given the slogan “The Same Skin”.
Leeds forward Rodrigo further said; “I think it’s a great initiative on the part of both federations.”
“It’s very important to use the power of football to denounce and fight against discrimination,” he concluded.
Legislators in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro in June signed a law to curtail football matches affected by racist abuse, after several treatment that was meted on Vinicius, a native of the state.
The Valencia fans that were found guilty for abusing Vinicius were issued stadium bans and fines by Spanish authorities in the first week of June 2023.
Vinicius
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, also known as Vinícius Júnior or Vini Jr. is a Brazilian footballer who was born on 12 July 2000 and plays as a winger for Real Madrid and the Brazil national team.
The Brazilian is considered one of the best players in the world, and he is known for his speed, strong dribbling abilities, and playmaking skills.
Vinícius was born in São Gonçalo, and began his professional career at Flamengo, where he made his senior debut in 2017, at the age of 16.
Vinícius joined Real Madrid for £38 million, which was a Brazilian record transfer fee for an U-18 player.
Madrid completed the transfer just after his 18th birthday, and Vinícius played his debit match for the club in 2018–19.
Vinicius Junior had already established himself as a vital player in Real Madrid’s squad in his fourth year in Spain, helping the club win the 2021–22 La Liga title and scoring the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 2022 UEFA Champions League final win.
The Brazilian player was recently handed the number 7 jersey at Real Madrid, a number that has been worn by several Real Madrid legend.
The question is can racist abuse ever end in football since there are no major punishments for racist aside stadium fines and bans?
