Spain PM condemns Atletico over Vinicius racism incident

Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring Real Madrid’s second goal during the Spanish League football match between Levante UD and Real Madrid CF at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Jose Miguel FERNANDEZ / AFP)

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez condemned Atletico Madrid on Tuesday for not taking a stand against the racist chants from their supporters aimed at Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.

Some sectors of the crowd chanted “You are a monkey, Vinicius, you are a monkey,” before and during Real Madrid’s 2-1 win at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium on Sunday, while missiles including lighters were thrown at him and Brazilian compatriot Rodrygo as they celebrated a goal.

Liga will report the events to the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee but Atletico have not made a public statement about the incidents. “I’m a big supporter of Atlético Madrid, so I was very sad,” Sanchez told Politico while at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“I expected a strong message from the clubs against this kind of behaviour, this is what I will ask of my team. I think its important that football clubs take this kind of behaviour seriously and react.”

The storm was sparked after Pedro Bravo, the head of the Spanish football agents association, said on television that Vinicius needed to stop ‘acting the monkey’ when dancing to celebrate goals.

Bravo apologised, saying he was using a phrase which was not intended to have racist connotations. The phrase is commonly used in Spain to mean ‘playing the fool’.

Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, another Atletico supporter, has also criticised those chanting. “They have no place, not just at a sporting