A British newspaper called for rejecting the joint bid between Spain, Portugal and Morocco to host the 2030 World Cup, due to the racist abuse suffered by Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
The Times claims that the Spanish authorities have not adequately addressed the problem, and that this must be counted against the joint offer.
The editorial of the British newspaper stated that, “Unlike football authorities in other countries, La Liga does not have the power to impose penalties on fans on its own, but can only transfer cases of racism to public prosecutors.”
And she added, “La Liga expressed (its great frustration) yesterday at the lack of sanctions and convictions by sports disciplinary bodies, public administrations, and judicial bodies that reported racist incidents.”
And she added, “La Liga says it will request a change in the law to give it more powers to punish racists, including the right to demand partial or complete closure of venues, the ability to ban individual fans and impose financial penalties on clubs. It is what it takes to get racism out of the game.”
And the newspaper continued, “Spain is preparing to bid, along with Portugal and Morocco, to host the 2030 World Cup. It is unreasonable to assert that Spain will be chosen for the tournament until it takes decisive action to remove racism from the local game.”
“kick it out”
And she considered that “after all, La Liga comes second after the Premier League in the list of the most expensive leagues in the world, because its matches attract a global audience.”
And the “Times” asked, “What kind of message does (La Liga) send to the world if it cannot protect a wonderful young talent like Vinicius from racist abuse? After 30 years of Britain, Spain needs a ‘kick it out’ campaign.
Statement from our Head of Player Engagement Troy Townsend following the continued racist abuse of Vinicius Jr. 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/9co5L0GL9O
– Kick It Out (@kickitout) May 22, 2023
The campaign was launched in 1993 by the English football authorities, which includes the FA and the English Premier League.
“The campaign was launched to address discrimination at the grassroots level and provide a way for the public to report incidents of abuse,” the Times said.
And she concluded, “No one claims that the English game today is perfect, as racism is widespread on social media, but incidents of racist abuse in matches are now rare, and English football has become a model of diversity and inclusion for the rest of the world.”
