The Facts
In the wake of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid soccer star Vinícius Jr. over the weekend, Spanish police on Tuesday said they arrested a total of seven people on hate crime charges in connection with multiple incidents.
Three people were arrested in Valencia after the city's club faced off against Real Madrid on Sunday. The game was temporarily halted after fans were seen calling Vinícius a monkey and making monkey gestures.
The Spin
Narrative A
While racism in soccer is a problem in multiple countries, this episode in Spain highlights a major crisis. Unfortunately, dozens of similar acts have previously taken place without repercussions and this has allowed the behavior to be institutionalized. Serious action needs to be taken in order to make clear that these types of disgusting actions are unacceptable.
Narrative B
While this is a serious problem in Spain, as well as in a number of other countries, a part of the problem is that the Spanish soccer league — La Liga — has little to no power to punish those responsible for racism. The body is now formally requesting more authority on the matter from the Spanish government in order to take action.
