Spanish Prime Minister: ‘I’m an Atletico fan but I was saddened by the racism against Vinicius’

In the Madrid derby between Atlético and Real last Sunday (18/09) the Spanish champions won 2-1 at home and Vinicius was a big star.

Not because he scored (although Valverde’s second goal came through the 22-year-old Brazilian’s personal effort), but because he was the victim of a vicious racist attack, first on TV by the President of the Professional Football Managers Association in Spain and then by Atlético fans with insulting slogans from the field.

His ‘targeting’ through it all was due to celebrating his goals with dancing, where Real’s highly skilled young striker was unaffected and excelled in the recent derby where he ‘answered’ his offenders with the ‘. “forbidden” (for one’s own perception) celebrations.

The uproar, centered on Vinicius, even led to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is based in New York representing the United Nations General Assembly, telling his hometown newspaper Politico:

“I’m a strong Atletico supporter but I was very upset. And I expected a strong message from the clubs against this kind of behavior. That’s what I will demand from my team.”

I think it’s important that football clubs take this kind of behavior seriously and respond to it.”