Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior has been subjected to 10 reported incidents of racist abuse this season in LaLiga; "We need harder punishments. We can't tolerate any more racism in football,"said the FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who asked Vinicius to lead the committee
Thursday 15 June 2023 14:23, UK
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior will lead a special FIFA anti-racism committee made up of players who will suggest stricter punishments for discriminatory behaviour in football.
The Brazil forward was racially abused by fans when Madrid played Valencia in May, the 10th such incident involving the 22-year-old that LaLiga has reported to prosecutors this season.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed Vinicius' involvement in the special FIFA anti-racism committee after meeting him and the Brazil national team, who play Guinea in Barcelona on Saturday as part of an anti-racism campaign led by the Brazilian FA (CBF).
"There will be no more football with racism in it. The games should be stopped immediately when it happens. Enough is enough," Infantino said.
"I asked Vinicius to lead this group of players that will present stricter punishments against racism that will later be implemented by all football authorities around the world.
"We need to hear the players and what they need to work in a safer environment. We are very serious about it.
"We need harder punishments. We can't tolerate any more racism in football. As president of FIFA, I feel I needed to talk personally with Vinicius about it."
LaLiga president Javier Tebas says his organisation would be able to tackle the issue of racism in Spanish football if it had the power to directly sanction clubs.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Tebas reiterated the league's hands are tied by laws which means they can currently only identify and report incidents, with punishments rarely handed out, and called for a change of strategy.
"Well, it's a turning point. What we have to make sure is that this doesn't happen again," Tebas told Sky Sports News.
"LaLiga has always been very serious about this, especially with Vinicius. We have taken this to court nine times with events relating to Vinicius, and we have even reported cases that he himself didn't know about.
"So what we are looking for is a change of strategy because there has been lots of claims. So what we want is a change of strategy so that we will have the powers to be able to sanction directly.
"We can't just report something - we want to be able to directly sanction the clubs so it can't be repeated. If we had the powers to do that, I'm sure that these racist insults which have happened to Vinicius, in six months, I think we put an end to that."