Vinicius Jnr racism storm: The big questions answered as Real Madrid forward suffers abuse

The latest storm of racism engulfing LaLiga will continue after Real Madrid confirmed the club are taking legal action over the ‘hate crime’ suffered by Vinicius Jnr.

The striker was the victim of racial slurs during his side’s loss to Valencia at the weekend, leading Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales to openly admit the country is beset by a “serious problem” of discrimination.

Vinicius issued a scathing criticism of La Liga and the wider footballing authority over their perceived lack of action to tackle racism, and said Spanish football had reached a new low, having previously been a league that was the envy of Europe.

In response, however, Javier Tebas called Vinicius’ words “very unfair”.

But with Spain’s highest-grossing player now threatening to leave the country over racism, Sports MailPete Jenson has unpacked that possibility and examined the continuing scourge of racist stadium abuse that still plagues La Liga.

Is Vinicius ready to leave Real Madrid because of racism?

His argument is with La Liga and not his club – Real Madrid issued a statement on Monday saying they were “repelled” by the racism they received and should be treated as a hate crime with the guilty tried and sentenced.

But if Vinicius feels the competition he’s playing in isn’t protecting him enough, he could play in another.

That was certainly how the last words of his statement on social media read: “I will go all the way against the racists. Even if it’s far from here.

Where would he go?

Paris Saint Germain need a replacement for Messi and have the money.

Vinicius has spoken privately and very positively about the treatment he receives when playing in England in the Champions League and would welcome a move there if he leaves La Liga.

Regardless of the supporters, he doesn’t get the same respect from the players in Spain that he received from Kyle Walker against Manchester City.

Could it happen this summer?

He has one year left on his contract. Real Madrid offered him a new contract until 2027 and the two teams were close to an agreement.

The Spanish club invested heavily in Vinicius when they signed him for £39m (€45m) when he was just 16 in 2017.

They stuck with him through the tough years when he scored just six goals in two seasons as a youngster, and they’re not going to let him down now that he’s become one of the best players in the world.

If he refused to sign a new contract and sought to terminate his contract, the situation would change, but at the moment this is not the case.

Who supported him?

Carlo Ancelotti has been unequivocal from the start and the relationship between player and manager is stronger than ever.

He got it wrong at his press conference on Sunday when he accused the whole stadium of racial slurs – he heard ‘Mono’ (monkey) and Mestalla’s chant was ‘Tonto’ (stupid) and he corrected that. But he was flawless in his support.

So the shout was ‘Stupid’ and not ‘Monkey’?

No. Those who insulted Vinicius behind goal during the game called him a monkey. One was identified by Vinicius and kicked out by stewards and police.

There was also no doubt that the fans gathered outside the stadium before kick-off chanted: ‘Vinicius is a monkey’. Where it looks like Ancelotti got it wrong was when the whole stadium laughed at Vinicius during the game.

They were chanting ‘Stupid’ not ‘Monkey’.

Why is Vinicius angry with La Liga?

La Liga president Javier Tebas says Vinicius is wrong to blame La Liga for their inaction as they have now brought 10 cases to the authorities this season.

His argument is this: La Liga does not have the power to close stadiums. What he is in his power to do is to report the incidents and provide audio-visual evidence to the competent authorities.

Is this a fair point?

LaLiga say they don’t have the power to close grounds after cases of racist abuse. But this begs the question why?

UEFA closes the grounds in the Champions League without having to consult a higher political power. The Spanish League is La Liga’s competition, can’t it set the rules?

But he does report incidents, so why hasn’t that been a deterrent?

Because too many cases fail without sanction.

A case against someone who racially abused Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams earlier in the season has been dropped because police reviewed the culprit’s social media activity and concluded that they weren’t wasn’t racist.

Another abuse case targeting Vinicius at Camp Nou has been closed as despite La Liga sending images and evidence of racist abuse, local police were unable to identify the culprit.

And a third case, also involving Majorca abuse victim Vinicius, was dismissed because the prosecutor failed to judge the available evidence of monkey songs and the use of the slur ‘go pick bananas’ as motives. sufficient to pursue criminal proceedings.

When the criminal prosecution finds the accused guilty, what happens?

Mallorca banned one fan for three years and another for six months. But if racism causes clubs to lose money through closed stadiums and lost matchday revenue, we could see more lifetime bans. All the time, the grounds remain open, nothing changes.

This feeling that nothing has changed, is that right?

Victor Esquinas Torres was the referee in 2006 when Samuel Eto’o threatened to walk off the pitch at Zaragoza.

He told Radio Marca on Monday: “The problem is the protocol itself because it’s the same protocol I had in 2006. It’s been shown that it’s not enough because you give a second and a third chance to people who hear the warning on the loudspeaker. Not changing the protocol benefits the racists.

He was referring to guidelines for referees that, in the event of racism, play should be stopped and not restarted until an announcement has been made. Esquinas says his biggest regret wasn’t pulling the players out of the game against Eto’o.