Last season, Vinicius Junior was sadly the victim of racist chants and insults in several La Liga stadiums. And the Brazilian did not hesitate to speak out to denounce, and set himself up as one of the symbols of the fight against racism in football and in sport in general. In an interview with Spanish media Reportthe big name of Atlético de Madrid Diego Costa sided with his compatriot.
“It is very difficult to comment on the Vinicius affair. I remember when I came to play in the Spanish League I listened to rivals telling me ‘go back to your country’, ‘starved to death’, ‘shitty monkey’… I knew it was to get me out of the game, but I understand that it can hurt a lot. Vinicius is a black boy. The story is totally different, racism comes from a long time and people have suffered a lot from it, it hurts them a lot. Blacks were treated very differently. There are a lot of people who say you should ignore insults, but no. For me, it’s easier to pass than for them, because nothing will make us forget what they (the blacks, editor’s note) have been through, even the dogs lived better. Only they know what hurts. There are people who use it to do theater, but Vinicius doesn’t do it, luckily he’s at Real Madrid and represents a lot. He has strength and power, if it happens with someone from Getafe or Rayo people would say ‘fool, go home that you’re paid for this’. The Federation and society wouldn’t care. Vinicius is right to fight. He went through the worst, people told him he was very bad, he didn’t know what to do with the ball… And look what he is today, nobody gave him anything. He has every reason to demand equal treatment.”launched the Spanish-Brazilian striker.
