Roberto Carlos was once the target of racism in Spanish football in 1997

The racial abuse is not something new in LaLiga
by
Martín O'Donnell
2023-05-27 10:00:37

A season that Vinicius Junior should be enjoying because of his fantastic level is instead being overshadowed by the shameful, racial abuse he received in different stadiums in Spain.

The Real Madrid star has exposed the discrimination he experienced in a number of away games during the 2022-23 campaign, with plenty of renowned personalities standing by his side and claiming LaLiga to take action. Unfortunately, Roberto Carlos had also suffered from racism in Spain.

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++ Real Madrid teammates and fans pay tribute to Vinicius Junior at the Bernabéu
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++ Spanish police arrest four people on suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius Junior off a highway bridge

The day Barcelona fans racially abused Roberto Carlos

During an away derby against Barcelona, home supporters racially abused the then Brazilian left-back, calling him “monkey” and later scratching that word in his car. Shortly after Vinicius’ recent episode in Valencia, many fans remembered what Roberto Carlos went through in 1997.

The former Real Madrid star even thought about leaving Spain in the wake of that shameful night at Camp Nou. Unfortunately, it’s been more than two decades and yet some people seem to have learned nothing. Hopefully, we’ll get to the day where racism is no longer a thing, let alone in football. But changes need to be made to get closer to that day.

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