After four years with Jair Bolsonaro in the presidency, it is not easy for a foreign country to provoke a wave of indignation in Brazil due to prejudice and ignorance. But the racism in Spanish football manifested in a series of insults against the Real Madrid player VinÃcius Junior has achieved it.
After the official protests of the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed directly to the Spanish ambassador in Brasilia, the rejection of racism in Spain spread throughout Brazil. The Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was left in the dark after the decision of the archdiocesan sanctuary to turn off the spotlights on the iconic Corcovado mountain in protest of racism against VinÃcius.
The thriving black movement – ​​with a new generation of young people who benefited from the first Lula government’s policy of university fees for Afro-Brazilians – denounced Spanish racism. “Vini, you are not alone!†announced the Black Coalition for Rights made up of more than 250 organizations.
At the same time, dozens of artists and celebrities circulated protest tweets. “I hope the Spanish people show respect towards all races,” said veteran Afro-Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil.
The rapper Ludmila, born in the poor and black periphery of Rio de Janeiro, who has 29 million followers on Instagram, took aim at the Spanish Football Federation and La Liga. “They closed their eyes to something that has been denounced for a long time,†she said in a veiled reference to Javier Tebas, the Spanish soccer czar who has declared himself a Vox voter.
Lula joined the protest from Hiroshima, in Japan, where he is participating in a G-7 summit. He condemned “racism and fascism” in the Spanish stands and demanded forceful measures.
Protests hit the streets yesterday when black rights groups called rallies in front of the Spanish consulate in São Paulo and other Spanish diplomatic buildings to show solidarity with VinÃcius. Various commentators from the world of football expressed their rejection. “I have no evidence to say that Vox or its allies are responsible for the persecution against VinÃcius, but I have no doubt that this racism is linked to the ideology of the extreme right,” said Walter Casagrande, the former Corinthians player and teammate of the mythical player and fighter against racism Sócrates, in comments to La Vanguardia. Casagrande urged the players to “take the reins of football” to fight against racist authorities such as the Spanish association. Even the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) tweeted: “How long are we going to be witnesses in the 21st century of episodes that we have just witnessed in La Liga?”
When an organization like the CBF – with a history of corruption and historical racism – manages to present itself as a force for good against evil, it is clear that the Spain brand has a serious image problem. “It is worth remembering that there is still racism in the stands here,†said Juca Kfouri, the columnist for Folha de São Paulo.
After decades of denialism disguised as praise for “racial democracy”, black consciousness is growing in Brazil. “More and more people are already defining themselves as black,” said American anthropologist Sean Mitchell. This change of consciousness is already noticeable in the football cracks. Ronaldo in his day came to say that “I used to be black, but I am not anymore”, confusing social class with the color of his skin. VinÃcius, on the other hand, is very aware of his role in the fight against racism inside and outside of Brazil.
There is a consensus in Brazil: the football and media powers in Spain have turned a blind eye to racism. When a group of Atlético fans hung an effigy of VinÃcius from a bridge in Madrid in late January, it was deservedly front-page news in Rio and São Paulo. But incredibly it went unnoticed in Spain. “Here VinÃcius fell like a bomb,” says Jorge Chaloub, a political analyst. “It is believed here that the media in Spain have been very tolerant of this racism,” he adds.
There are political responsibilities in Spain too, says Rodrigo Nunes, a philosopher at the Catholic University (PUC) in Rio de Janeiro. “There are links between what happens to VÃnicius and Vox. People who wouldn’t have dared to show themselves like this in public until a few years now do so,†he said.
