Over the last year, Brazilian diplomats have suggested changing the law, offered help and demanded solutions from Spanish politicians, authorities and sports leaders
A year ago, as a result of the racist attacks suffered by Vinicius Junior at the Valencia stadium, Brazil's ambassador to Spain, Orlando Leite Ribeiro, met – separately – with the three most powerful sports leaders in the country: Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, and Luis Rubiales, who at the time was still in charge of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
The aim of the meetings was to "understand the distribution of sanctioning, disciplinary and administrative powers" between La Liga, RFEF and Real Madrid, in order to "demand accountability in the cases against Vini Jr". In a telegram sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ribeiro reported a discouraging scenario after the three meetings.
It must be acknowledged that my three interlocutors agree that the episodes should not have taken place in any context […] However, it is also true that neither La Liga, nor the Federation, nor Real Madrid seem to clearly assume any responsibility for what happened. The increased media exposure of the problem of racism in Spanish soccer has instead highlighted disagreements, accusations and power struggles.
The excerpt above is part of a letter sent by the Brazilian embassy in Spain to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brasilia on May 31, 2023. The telegram is part of a series of documents obtained via the Access to Information Act by the specialist public transparency agency Fiquem Sabendo and passed on to ge.
According to Ambassador Ribeiro's reports, the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, admitted that he had made a mistake when he accused Vinicius of "insulting La Liga". Tebas also accused the Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office of inaction. The then president of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales (who would fall months later for kissing a national team player without consent), directed his complaints against the RFEF. And the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, fired back at the other two footballers. So said the Brazilian diplomat:
For Pérez, the root of the problem would be quite simple: the culprits would be the referees and the RFEF. The former for being corrupt, the latter for inertia and condescension. He also criticized the president of LaLiga [Tebas], who would take advantage of the crisis to seek more sanctioning power. In addition, Florentino Pérez said that Vini Jr is called "mono" because he is the best player at the moment, as well as the one who receives the most fouls in the Spanish top flight.
This scenario led the Brazilian ambassador to Spain to a pessimistic conclusion.
Unfortunately, due to the current political earthquake and the approaching end of the championship, the virtual disappearance of the subject in the Spanish media does not seem to indicate a speedy solution to the issue.
One year until the first conviction
In fact, the solution would not be quick. It would take more than a year for the Spanish courts to sentence three Valencia fans to eight months in prison, a two-year ban from soccer stadiums and to write a letter asking for forgiveness from Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid and "all those who have been offended". Although they were sentenced to prison, the three fans can serve their sentences in freedom – as long as they don't commit any crimes in the next three years.
Throughout this period, Brazil has put pressure on Spain to punish the perpetrators of the racist crimes against Vinicius Junior. As well as sports leaders, the Brazilian ambassador and his aides met with ministers, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, opposition congressmen, the Spanish Attorney General and various other authorities. The Brazilian diplomats demanded punishments, discussed changes to Spanish law – which still doesn't specifically classify racism as a crime – and offered help based on the examples that have worked in Brazil.
Vinicius Junior had already been the target of racial crimes in Spain long before that May 21, 2023 in Valencia. So much so that the Real Madrid star's name had already been mentioned at a meeting on April 25 last year between Brazil's Minister for Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, and Spain's Minister for Equality, Irene Montero. But the episode at the Mestalla stadium attracted a different kind of attention to the problem.
Hours after the match, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came out in defense of Vinicius Junior during a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, where he was attending a G7 meeting.
On May 26, in Madrid, even before meeting the sports leaders, Ambassador Orlando Leite Ribeiro met with the Spanish Attorney General. Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, who "felt obliged to give an explanation" and promised his Brazilian interlocutor.
We are not standing still.
Brazil's demands on Spain continued. Brazilian diplomats also met with the then president of the Spanish Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Franco.
On that occasion, I expressed my frustration with the usual outcome of criminal proceedings against hate crimes in Spain, considering the episode of which Vini Jr has been a victim – wrote Orlando Leite Ribeiro in a telegram sent to Brazil.
A pessimistic prediction made by the Brazilian ambassador last year has been confirmed.
It is likely that, once competitions resume next season, episodes like those against Vini Jr will once again take place in Spanish stadiums.
New cases in 2024
The episode that triggered more diplomatic action from Brazil in Spain was the attack on Vinicius Junior by Atlético de Madrid fans at a Champions League match against Inter Milan on March 13 this year.
The case led Brazil to instruct its embassy in Spain to "reiterate, at the earliest opportunity, the Brazilian government's repudiation and concern about the repeated racist attacks against the athlete".
The embassy should express Brazil's expectation that Spain will cooperate in ensuring that the regulations in force in European championships provide for criminal and sporting sanctions to curb such acts, which tarnish the fraternal spirit of sport and human dignity. It should also urge the Spanish government to look to the existing legal framework for ways to punish and curb racism in soccer.
Ambassador Orlando Leite Ribeiro then met with the Secretary of State for Ibero-America, Suzana Sumelzo Jordán, and the Attorney General, Alvaro García Ortiz.
I began by pointing out the recurrence of racist violence against Vinicius Junior and its repercussions in the Brazilian and international media, which would have a negative impact on Spain's image abroad.
This was also the content of the meetings with Francina Armengol, president of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, and her predecessor in the post, Meritxell Batet.
At the meeting with Armengol, Brazilian diplomat Luiz Claudio Themudo recalled the case of Brazilian basketball player Yago dos Santos, who in 2023 was playing for a German club and was also the target of racist insults during a game in Badalona (near Barcelona) in a European tournament. The case was dropped because the perpetrators of the racist chants were not identified.
Over the last two months, in April and May, Ambassador Leite Ribeiro and members of his team also met with the new president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribe, and with members of parliament from the opposition Popular Party (PP). At these meetings, the Spaniards explained to their Brazilian interlocutors the details of Spanish criminal law and discussed ways of modifying it.
There have been no changes to Spanish law yet. But the sentencing of the three Valencia fans this week was welcomed by both countries, by Vinicius Junior himself and by Fifa president Gianni Infantino – as a milestone in the fight against racism in Spanish soccer stadiums.
Ambassador Joel Sampaio, head of Itamaraty's communications department, welcomed the Spanish courts' decision.
The Embassy made several gestures. It was essential to come out in defense of the player and the values he courageously defends.
When contacted by the report, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied that it "does not comment", but sent a statement by Minister José Manuel Albares given to Cadena SER radio on March 26, 2024.
First of all, I want to convey all my solidarity to Vinicius and to all the people who may find themselves in his situation. Racism is always absolutely and totally despicable, and has no place whatsoever in a society like Spain's, which is a tolerant, plural, diverse society and which has these values of plurality, diversity, tolerance and anti-racism among its highest values.
It must be left out of any sphere of society, especially sport, which must be linked to other values. At this point, a few months ago, I had the opportunity to speak to my Brazilian colleague, the Brazilian Foreign Minister, about the situation Vinicius was in. I translated exactly that to him, and he understood perfectly.
The fight against racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attitudes is a daily struggle that concerns all citizens. And, of course, the government, in the first place, is doing this, as well as all citizens. These are minority attitudes, but I insist, they are totally reprehensible and depreciable and have no place in our society.
Translated by DeepL.
by ComfortableLaugh1922
6 comments
Brazil is solving Spain’s problem. What an incompetent country, lol
Imagine being so incompetent that a whole another country has to step up
Good
and they should do it again!
When does the documentary come out? Who releasing it?
Whoever wrote this doesn’t really understand how Spanish law works for a couple of reasons. First, Spain has a clear separation of powers. No matter how much you pressure the legislative and executive powers (members of Congress and government ministers), they can’t do anything about the judicial process. Judges are independent and they apply the law.
Second, the very fact that they were sentenced means that what they did was already against the law. The Spanish Constitution does not allow for retroactive (ex post facto) laws, meaning that even if you pass a new law prohibiting something, you can’t send people to jail for doing it before. So what those morons did was illegal, they were tried, found guilty and sentenced regardles of any pressure from foreign countries.
Brazil was pressuring the politicians to make new laws for future cases and that debate was already ongoing in Spain before they said anything.