November 21 – Vinicius Junior has launched a campaign to combat racism in Brazil under the slogan ‘Racism, don’t pretend you don’t see it’.
On Monday, Brazil marked its Consciencia Negra (Black Awareness day) with a national holidayand the Real Madrid forward stepped up the fight against racism with a campaign in his home country, advocating for harsher punishments for discriminatory behaviour in the game.
A poster of Vinícius’ face, accompanied by the phrases: ‘Racism, don’t pretend you don’t see it’ and ‘reveal the racists’, appeared on billboards across major cities in Brazil. Through his foundation, he also launched the ‘Anti-Racism Education Handbook’.
The Real Madrid player wrote on X: “With great excitement, we announce that tomorrow, Tuesday, will be the launch of our Anti-Racist Education Manual! Together, we build a future where education is a transformative force.”
Vinicius Jr has frequently been the target of racial abuse in La Liga, leading the CBF to organise a friendly match against racism against Spain in March 2024. The governing body also staged an anti-racism friendly against Guinea in Barcelona.
The Brazilian heads a special FIFA anti-racism committee. The move came after FIFA disbanded their anti-racism task force, declaring that its work was done.
Former Socceroo and human rights activist Craig Foster however was among those slamming FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino for shifting the onus for finding solutions for change on to the young Vinicius Jr.
Foster said: “Infantino came out and put Vinicius Jr on a new panel. That’s what he loves to do – shifting the responsibility for anti-racism on to a player in the middle of his young career. That’s the most ridiculous thing.”
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