Simon Hunter
SPAIN’S national football manager and the mayor of Madrid have both spoken out in response to comments made this week by Real star Vinicius that the country should lose its role as host of the 2030 World Cup if more action is not taken to stamp out racism.
Speaking to US cable news network CNN, Vinicius said that ‘if the situation with racism in Spain does not improve before 2030, the World Cup would have to be moved to a different location’.
The Brazilian forward has been subject to shocking abuse since playing for the Madrid club, and earlier this year broke down in tears at a press conference while he was discussing the subject.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, however, categorically stated that the country is ‘not racist’, and claimed that instead it is an ‘example of coexistence, respect and integration’.
“There is always an undesirable element, of course,” he told reporters on Wednesday ahead of a Spain game against Serbia.
“But I insist: Spain is not racist and is an example for many countries to look up to,” he added.
The 2030 World Cup, he said, the hosting of which will be shared between Spain, Morocco and Portugal, ‘will be a unique event’.
Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, meanwhile, argued that Vinicius’s comments were damaging to Spain.
“We are aware that there are racist episodes in society and that we must work hard to put an end to them,” Martínez-Almeida said, in comments reported by AP.
“It’s unfair to Spain and to Madrid to say that we are a racist society,” he added.
Vinicius, 24, has been targeted with abuse as many as 16 times in the last 18 months in Spain, according to press reports.
He has reportedly held conversations with his teammates at Real Madrid about how they should deal with any such abuse in the future.
The two-time Champions League winner has said that the entire squad has agreed to leave the pitch should any racial abuse be directed by fans at players.
