The President of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Swiss Gianni Infantino, called on Thursday for the fight against widespread racism in football. Following the abuses suffered by Brazilian international Vinicius Junior, a striker for Real Madrid, among others, Infantino stated in a meeting of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) that there are "problems" in the sport.
During an event in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, attended by the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, whose countries will host the opening matches of the 2030 World Cup alongside Argentina, Infantino said: "We must unite to fight racism." He added, "Vinicius and others are suffering... there is no reason for these attacks, we must unite against violence in the world."
The Spanish and Brazilian national teams faced off in a friendly match in the Spanish capital Madrid last month, organized to raise awareness about racism following numerous incidents of abuse directed at Vinicius in recent seasons. Before that match, Vinicius said that his desire to play football had diminished with the increase in incidents of racial abuse against him in Spain. Other players with darker skin have also suffered mistreatment in Europe, Brazil, and elsewhere over the past months.
