Following the incident of racial abuse directed at Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr during their LaLiga match against Valencia, the player called out LaLiga and Spain, describing them as "racist." In response, Puma, one of Valencia's sponsors, expressed their support for Vinicius Jr.
The match, held at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium, was temporarily halted for 10 minutes as Vinicius Jr identified the fans involved in the racial slurs. The situation escalated further when the player engaged in a confrontation with Valencia's players, resulting in his eventual dismissal in the second half. Unfortunately, Real Madrid lost the game with a score of 1-0.
"At PUMA, we do not tolerate racism, we condemn discrimination in any form and stand in solidarity with Vinicius Junior and the wider football community in condemning events yesterday," Puma, who sponsors both Valencia and LaLiga, said in a statement to Reuters.
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Spanish bank Santander, whose title sponsorship with LaLiga ends after this season, also voiced their support.
"Santander strongly rejects all racism and discrimination in whatever form it takes," it said in a statement.
The president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, acknowledged on Monday that Spanish soccer has a racism problem. His statement echoed the concerns raised by Brazil after Real Madrid filed a race crime complaint following the incident involving Vinicius Jr.
LaLiga, the top-tier football league in Spain, is now facing increased pressure to take more decisive actions against racism. This call for action has garnered support from various quarters, including the Brazilian president, Fifa, and prominent sports figures such as Kylian Mbappe, Rio Ferdinand, and Lewis Hamilton, who have expressed their solidarity with Vinicius.
In a social media post, Vinicius called racist abuse "inhuman" and asked sponsors and broadcasters to hold LaLiga accountable.
