MADRID (Reuters) - Spain has a problem with racism, head of the national football federation RFEF Luis Rubiales said on Monday, in reference to the racist chants hurled at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during Sunday’s match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior spoke out after he said he was racially abused by a fan before his ejection in a 1-0 loss to Valencia .
The match at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, Spain was stopped for almost 10 minutes in the second half while an emotional Vinícius called out a fan sitting behind Valencia’s goal.
Vinícius, who is from Brazil, was sent off from the match in the 97th minute after an altercation with Valencia’s Hugo Duro.
Vinícius made a gesture at the Valencia bench on his way off the pitch, too, which sparked a second confrontation.
La Liga is investigating, and vowed to take “appropriate legal action” if “any hate crime is detected.”
The racial incident on Sunday is the latest Vinícius has been subjected to in the past several seasons. La Liga has filed formal complaints multiple times after incidents of similar issues against four other clubs.