Atlético-Inter : Vinicius chimpanzee, a shameful racist song
Vinicius Junior wasn’t on the field this Wednesday night in Madrid, but that didn’t stop Atlético supporters from launching a shameful chant against the Brazilian player, who is now targeted almost every weekend.
In a match unrelated to Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior, the Brazilian forward was nonetheless the target of racist chants from Atlético Madrid “supporters.” While the rivalry between the two capital clubs is very intense, it cannot justify such behavior. In footage captured outside the Metropolitano stadium before the match, eventually won against Inter Milan, hundreds of supporters gathered to chant “chimpanzee” at Vinicius in a classic Spanish football chant remixed for the occasion.
The images that surfaced overnight on social media have already sparked reactions in Spain. Calls to the police have been made to identify those who initiated the chant, while many Atlético supporters have also completely dissociated themselves from this unabashed racism that is starting to dangerously proliferate in Spanish stadiums. Javier Tebas has been repeatedly questioned about when this problem will be addressed seriously, and when La Liga will punish the involved supporters and clubs accused of tolerating these racist incidents without much concern.
Unabashed racism in Spain.
The newspaper El Espanol has lamented these “regrettable excesses,” which “spoil the celebration” of Atlético’s qualification against Inter Milan. According to AS, there is no excuse for any racist behavior in Spanish stadiums, but the fact that Vinicius and Real Madrid were not even involved in Wednesday night’s match demonstrates that racism is now completely ingrained in the culture of some supporters, who know they will shock and make headlines in this manner.
