In the face of perpetual racial attacks, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has vowed to take bigger action on the pitch by walking off with his teammates.

The most notable racial abuse case with the Brazilian was at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium in May 2023.

Three fans were sent to jail earlier this year in relation to the incident, which happens to be the first guilty verdict in relation to racism in Spain.

Vinicius also endured racism at Barcelona, Mallorca, Real Valladolid, Pamplona and Sevilla, as well as around derbies with Atletico Madrid. 

The controversy sparked much locker room discussions among Junior and his fellow players that resulted in the now general consensus of joint action during games.

“In the club, we talk about it more often,” Vinícius said. “Not just me, but all [the] players said that if that happens, the next time everyone has to leave the field, so that all of those people who insulted us have to pay a much bigger penalty.

“In the case of what happened in Valencia, after the game — after we thought about it — everyone said that the right thing to do is to leave the field, but because you are there defending a team, we know that not everyone in the stadium is racist and were just there to watch the game.

“It’s always very difficult to end a game, but with everything that’s been happening, that each time is getting worse, we do need to leave the field so things can change as soon as possible.”

LaLiga commended the Valencia ruling for sending a “clear message to individuals who attend football matches to engage in abusive behaviour” and has requested legal changes to better address discriminatory abuse.

Though the league collects and sends evidence to local hate crime prosecutors, many cases are unfortunately not pursued. It therefore seeks to have the power to prosecute cases directly and to enhance enforcement against offenders.