MADRID — The mayor of Madrid criticized Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior on Wednesday after the Brazilian said Spain should’t host the 2030 World Cup if the country hasn’t come to grips with racism in soccer by then.
Vinicius told CNN in an interview that “if there is no progress (on racism) before 2030, they should change the host nation” for the World Cup.
Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said Vinicius’ comments could be damaging to Spain as a host of the tournament and had painted the country as a racist nation.
“We are aware that there are racist episodes in society and that we must work hart to put an end to them,” Martínez-Almeida said. “It’s unfair with Spain and with Madrid to say that we are a racist society.”
Vinicius, who is Black, told CNN he loves living in Madrid and said “the majority of people in Spain are not racist, but there is a small group that ends up affecting the image of the country.”
Vinicius has been subjected to a series of racist insults since he joined Real Madrid in 2018. Last year, he received widespread support from Spanish society after being insulted in a Spanish league game in Valencia, prompting several calls for changes in the fight against racism in the country.