It feels as though Vinicius Junior has been battling against racial issues in Spain forever, and the Brazilian's name was once again involved after an Atletico Madrid fan was arrested for racially abusing a young girl wearing a Real Madrid shirt with his name on the back ahead of the Madrid derby.
Fan arrested after racially abusing young girl at Madrid derby
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The Incident
A young girl, believed to be just eight years old, was racially abused by a an Atletico Madrid fan for wearing a Vinicius Junior shirt to the Madrid derby.
The attack occurred outside of the stadium while the girl was being carried by a family member, who was also the subject of abuse after being struck on the arm. Racial slurs and death threats were hurled at the young girl, who is said to have suffered a “serious anxiety attack” as a result.
Other supporters eventually intervened, and the young girl and her family were able to escape the scene shortly after.
An ongoing racism issue in Spain
Unfortunately, racism is still rife in European football. From Italy to England and to Spain, the issue is still far more present than is acceptable. Spanish football appears to be working on solving the problem, but there is one man, Vinicius Junior, who seems to be at the epicentre and has rightly been very vocal in recent years.
The 23-year-old winger has been forced to contend with a conveyor belt of racial abuse over the years, with some serious incidents along the way. One of the most terrible instances occurred when Atletico Madrid supporters hung an effigy of the forward off a bridge in Madrid in 2023.
Incidents such as these are still far too common and are a constant reminder that more must still be done across the globe to tackle the issue.