Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr named the head of the anti-racism committee by FIFA
Earlier today, FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr to discuss the issue of racism.
The 22-year-old Brazilian speedster had been targeted with racist abuse regularly this past season at away stadiums in Spain. Indeed, Vinicius had to deal with racism during games against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Real Valladolid, Mallorca, and Valencia.
The incident at the Mestalla against Valencia was the last straw as Vinicius completely hit out at La Liga and RFEF over a lack of action against racism, with the Real Madrid ace drawing support from all across the globe from footballers and personalities from other fields.
Gianni Infantino had also spoken up in support of Vinicius after the incident at the Mestalla. And now taking matters a step further, the FIFA president has announced that the Real Madrid winger will be the leader of the anti-racism committee formed by FIFA to tackle the issue.
“There will be no more football with racism in it. The games should be stopped immediately when it happens. Enough is enough,” Infantino said (h/t Reuters) after his meeting with Vinicius in Barcelona.
“I asked Vinicius to lead this group of players that will present stricter punishments against racism that will later be implemented by all football authorities around the world. We need to hear the players and what they need to work in a safer environment. We are very serious about it,” he added.
“We will implement very blunt and strong punishments to end once and for all the problem of racism in football. We can’t tolerate racism anymore. As president of FIFA, I feel I needed to talk personally with Vinicius about it.”
Furthermore, Infantino went on to stress that racism was not a problem only in Spain but across the globe and stressed the need to stop matches immediately when such an incident occurs at a stadium.
“We need to stop the games, apply disciplinary and competitive measures and all of it needs to be coordinated with local authorities and governments. An act of racism is a criminal act… From now on, FIFA will take legal actions with local authorities too, we will join complaints filed in local justice,” he said.
“It’s impossible to tolerate it anymore. We need the help and support from the authorities because the racists need to be identified, detained and banned for life from any stadium in the world.”
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
Dada Ajai-Ikhile
June 15, 2023 at 7:22 pm
This is welcome development from FIFA. It’s a good move from the highest level of global football administration. IMO, individuals, clubs, football associations and nations have been getting away with ‘soft’ penalties sometime none at all, for repeated racist actions directed at innocent footballers. It’s time to take decisive actions by the final word on world football. Kudos Infantino!