Spanish soccer acknowledges it has a racism problem after abuse against Vinicius Junior

Spanish soccer is again embroiled in a racism debate after yet another case of abuse against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, with the president of Spain's soccer federation acknowledging that the country has a racism problem and the player's club asking authorities to investigate the latest incident as a hate crime.

Officials, players and former players showed solidarity with Vinicius, who on Sunday considered leaving the field after facing racist taunts from fans during Real Madrid's 1-0 loss at Valencia in the Spanish league.

"We have a problem of behaviour, of education, of racism," Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales said Monday. "And as long as there is one fan or one group of fans making insults based on someone's sexual orientation or skin color or belief, then we have a serious problem. A serious problem that stains an entire team, an entire fan base and an entire country."

Valencia said it banned one of its fans for life and was looking to identify others who may have insulted Vinicius at Mestalla Stadium.

Real Madrid asked authorities to investigate the abusive behaviour, saying the club believed the incident to be a hate crime.

"Real Madrid strongly condemns the events that took place yesterday [Sunday] against our player," the club said. "These events represent a direct attack on the social and democratic model of coexistence of our State based on the rule of law."

The <a href="https://twitter.com/realmadrid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealMadrid</a> president had a meeting with <a href="https://twitter.com/vinijr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ViniJr</a> expressing his support and affection, informing him of all the steps that are being taken in his defence and confirming that the club will go to any