Spanish Prime Minister Urges Atletico Madrid to Take Action Against Fans Who Racially Abused Vinícius Júnior

Spanish Prime Minister Urges Atletico Madrid to Take Action Against Fans Who Racially Abused Vinícius Júnior

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:12 PM
In this article:
Spanish La Liga logo
SPA La Liga
Spain
  • Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has weighed in on the situation surrounding Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior
  • Atletico Madrid could be in trouble after fans racially abused Vinícius Júnior before the Madrid derby
  • Spain's Secretary of State for Sport has promised that those found guilty would face the full weight of the law

Spanish football has been plunged into the middle of a racism saga and even the Prime Minister is weighing in on the matter.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has commented on the racist chants directed at Vinícius Júnior and urged Atletico Madrid to take action.

Spanish Prime Minister, Atletico Madrid, Take Action, Fans, Racially Abused, Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid, Sport, World, Soccer, Monkey
Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has called on Atletico Madrid to take action against those who racially abused Vinícius Júnior before the Madrid derby. Image: Eduardo Parra/ David S Bustamante
Source: Getty Images

Atletico's fans are at the centre of the saga after video footage of them racially abusing Vini Jr. Fans could be seen changing 'Vini is a monkey' before the Madrid derby on Sunday, Sportbible reported.

The incident followed an already tense situation which started after the President of the Spanish Agents Association's comments about the Real Madrid player.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

While commenting on Vini's dance celebration, Pedro Bravo said the player was disrespecting his opponents and needed to stop 'monkeying around.'

The comment sparked a row which was then further escalated by the Atleti fans. La Liga are investigating the matter and the club themselves have promised to take action, something that the Prime Minister is hoping they do.

As reported by Football Espana, Sanchez said he was expecting stern action from the side.

“I am a follower of Atletico Madrid, so I was very sad when I saw what transpired. I expect a strong message from the club against these types of behaviour."

Spain's Secretary of State for Sport, Jose Manuel Franco, also promised that the full weight of the law will be applied to those found guilty. Franco also all clubs to work together to put an end to racism in Spanish football for good.

Trouble looms for Atletico Madrid as La Liga launches investigation into racist chants against Vinicius

Atletico Madrid is set to face more trouble following the series of events which ensued during the Madrid derby against crosstown rivals Real Madrid.

A group of Rojiblancos fans were caught on camera chanting racist songs at Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior outside the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano moments before the Madrid derby on Sunday.

The video, which has been making the rounds on the internet, has caught the attention of La Liga, who are compiling evidence of Sunday’s events into a report to send to the Anti-violence Commission, reports Isaac Fouto of Cadena Cope via Football Espana.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
Tags
World