Javier Tebas and the racist shame of Spanish football

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The vicious racist abuse of Real Madrid and Brazil star Vincius Jr points to something rotten at the very heart of Spanish football. La Liga, marketed worldwide as the glamorous pinnacle of club football, is riddled with racism and racist attitudes at all levels of the game: from the pitch to the stands. This has been compounded by a culture of denial, complacency and inaction from those tasked with overseeing Spanish football. Turning a blind eye to the problem has now come back to bite them in a big way.

Vincius’ racist taunts began even before the kick off of the weekend’s game between Real Madrid and Valencia at the Mestalla stadium. Valencia fans chanted in Spanish, Vincius, you’re a monkey as Real players got off the team bus. During the match, the player clashed with abusive fans and even pointed the finger at the perpetrators. It made little difference.

Is there any other job where someone experiences racist workplace abuse and just has to keep going?

Vincius took to social media after the match, saying racism was normal in La Liga and claimed that in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. Who can blame him? He has been the subject of repeated racist mockery since arriving in Spain five years ago. He then listed some of the incidents, including monkey chants, offensive gestures during a game and an effigy hanging from a road bridge. It’s sickening stuff.

Reals manager Carlo Ancelotti has backed his player, admitting La Liga has a problem with racism, before issuing a damning prophecy: Nothing will happen, as it has happened many times before in other stadiums and nothing has not been done. Nothing.

Ancelottis’ skepticism is justified. There have been nine similar racist abuse complaints against Vincius over the past two seasons, but most of the cases have been dismissed by prosecutors. So far, only one Mallorca fan could be tried for allegedly insulting the Brazilian during a match. The first-ever trial in Spain of a football fan accused of racist abuse is set to take place this year.

The league has been mired in these issues for years. Racist taunts from players and fans, including the use of the N-word, are normal in the Spanish game. Spanish fans launched monkey chants at England’s black footballers during a friendly as early as 2004, causing international outcry. When Barcelona played against Villarreal in 2014, one of Barca’s players, Dani Alves, had a banana thrown at him from the stands. In 2018, Jefferson Lerma, who played in midfield for Levante, accused an opponent of using a racial slur during a match. He claimed his complaints were ignored.

It’s a problem that goes beyond players and fans. In 2004, Luis Aragones, who went on to manage Spain at Euro 2008, was filmed referring to Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry as that black crap. He was eventually fined the equivalent of one day’s wages; the fine was later canceled.

Even now, some of those in authority still don’t understand. Neither Spain nor La Liga are racist, tweeted La Liga president Javier Tebas. Instead, he seemed to think the player was responsible for his criticism in the form of victim blaming which is telling in itself.

Others, even belatedly, realize the dangers posed to the reputation of games. It stains a whole team, all the fans and this whole country, said Luis Rubiales, president of the country’s football federation. But meaningful action is needed, not pious words and default slogans about everyone fighting racism together.

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The outpouring of support for Vincius, including a universal chorus of condemnation from some of football’s most famous black players, appears to have finally spurred Spanish authorities to act after days of unrest. Valencia were fined 45,000 (39,000) and landed with a five-match partial closure of their stadium. The authorities are also demanding more direct powers to punish offenders in the future. It is difficult, given their background, to be certain that they will use the new powers effectively.

The glamor and money involved in being an elite level footballer often overshadows everything else. People forget that gamers are ordinary human beings trying to do the job they are paid to do. Is there any other job where someone can experience racist abuse and taunting in the workplace, and just be expected to keep going? Football is the only work environment in which racial slurs and slurs have become normalized.

Vincius should have left the pitch this weekend. Black footballers around the world may have to say enough is enough and retire their jobs if the cancer of racism in the game is not excised once and for all.

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