What happened around Vinicius in the last Moix, the taunts of the opponents and the ten fouls against the Brazilian made a huge noise and focused on the player and transcended the football world. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti denounced that “not everything is the player’s fault”, and teammate Nacho wanted to use some common sense, warning: “It creates an environment that is not in anyone’s favour: neither he nor the fans who mess with the kid. Let’s enjoy football and put the bullshit aside.”

Former Real Madrid player and commentator Álvaro Benito da Vinicius referred to the mutual gestures of Maffeo and Raíllo: “The Brazilian should be congratulated for not taking any of the provocations into account. Things got crazy, thinking day. The limit has been crossed today, and so things are not going to do anyone any good. The culprit is not only Vinicius, he also did his part by responding to the provocations, so much so that in the locker room and the opposing defenders, ‘guys, he should be removed from this game no matter what’ is spoken.

surprise and worry

Real Madrid are surprised that the referee did not mediate between the defenders and the Brazilian at Son Moix, and are more and more worried about what is happening on the pitch, as in Majorca, where the player received racist insults from the stands. , Where a fan shouted at him: “You’re a monkey, you’re a goddamn monkey”. The facts that LaLiga will blame for identifying the author and punishing him. Vinicius for the fourth time the target of such xenophobic insults, what turns into an unfortunate habit.

For David Moscoso, sociologist and professor at the University of Córdoba, “these gestures and signs racism It is not alien to the values ​​of society that expresses itself through football. Sport is not alien to social reality, it is a mirror in which reality is reflected. AND Football is unfortunately a place where such behavior is more accepted by society. There have always been violent incidents in the football community, such as the hooligan phenomenon. Something that does not occur or is tolerated in other areas of life. It seems like we even considered it normal for people to go to the football field to show off, insult the referee, the players…”.

The Brazilian figure from Real Madrid monopolizes these racial slurs in our country, but Moscoso is “a striking case, but not unique. There are many open cases in Europe involving players like Jadon Sancho or Marcus Rashford who have suffered them”. The difference is that in England or Germany they act more determinedly to punish such behavior, while in Spain a few such incidents are archived.

The sociologist said, “Such movements have nothing to do with sports. There is an ideology that feeds this intolerance, that of the far right. football is the stage where we reflect our good and bad values. And that’s where you see what we are.”. David addsBecause of such events, Spain’s image abroad leaves much to be desired and creates a lot of mistrust. They called me from a foreign media and were interested to find out if a Francoist ideology was still dominant in Spain after these actions. It’s worrisome, and football is the best scenario to reflect that, because football and government agencies aren’t outspoken when it comes to tackling it.”

Much has been said about whether Vinicius was the culprit or the victim for his behavior on the field. Moscoso categorically: “I do not go into whether there is a provocative attitude from the player, but even if it does, this does not justify any racist behavior. The problem is. Politically addressing racism in Spain is a taboo subject and this reflects the public image of Spain as not a tolerant country.It does not do well on equality and the fight against xenophobia. Ultra groups dominate in football and you don’t want to offend them, you don’t want to sue them. Atletico Madrid is a clear example of this. In football, the limits of social coexistence norms and rights are exceeded. And the first thing that doesn’t benefit is football and that’s why they’re charging it.”

A professor at the University of Córdoba warns: “There are more people who don’t like football, who don’t play football because they have that image of the reality of football. According to official statistics from the state, the Sporting Habits Survey estimated that from 5.5 million practitioners in 1990 to 4′ in 2020. e is out. “The image of football is being distorted and this is happening with the attitudes produced by football itself,” he said.

football and politics

The noise produced by sports journalism also helps “create this discontent.” From the outside, political strategies are appreciated more than sports strategies in journalism, and even the use of tools to influence or condition matches and referees. As in the case of Vinicius, they are focused on and under more pressure”.

Moscoso believes that “Sports journalism creates so much discontent with football, with so much discussion, debate, fights, with pink sauce that goes personal and moves away from sports. Something limited to football as it is not in other sports. I think it requires some reflection on where to look. Especially on issues that cause moral harm such as racial insults, it is necessary to take a firm stance from journalism and not to close the issue with false discussions. A statement against racism is incomplete without delay.”

The sociologist ends with a very revealing thought: “The same thing happens in football as in politics: All this noise and controversy eventually creates public discontent. The theatricalization and forced debate of politicians means that in the end people don’t feel represented by them and don’t want to vote. People are tired of football!”