Vinicius’s comments against Spain have caused a huge reaction. Many believe that the Brazilian has slipped up.
The Real Madrid forward said in an interview with CNN that “if the situation of racism in Spain does not change before 2030, the World Cup will have to be played in another place.” This opinion on the social problem that exists at a global level, and is also present in sport, has caused a reaction from a large part of the football and political sphere.
Donato Gama da Silva (Rio de Janeiro, 1962), a former Spanish footballer of Brazilian origin, spoke on Radio MARCA to analyse the current situation in football and the controversy that has arisen in recent hours from Vinicius’ comments.
The former Atlético de Madrid, Deportivo de La Coruña and Spanish national team player made his opinion clear. “Vinicius has to worry about the pitch and forget about what’s happening outside. I used to take the ball and people would imitate the monkey, but I would laugh because there were also players of colour in their team.”
Donato added “Vinicius is a great player”, however, he criticized the attacker’s attitude and way of thinking. “I don’t know what happened in his life, but these statements are very strong. Why doesn’t this happen to other players in his team? It’s a shame that he says Spain is racist, he must ask for forgiveness,” he said.
Carvajal and Cañizares respond to Vinicius
Dani Carvajal, the captain of La Roja, also expressed his opinion on the words of his teammate at Real Madrid. The Spaniard does not understand Vinicius’ media outburst and made it known. “Spain is not a racist country and does not deserve to have the World Cup taken away from it,” he said.
Another great football personality who commented on the Brazilian’s statements was former Spanish goalkeeper Santi Cañizares: “If Vinicius would just correct me, because the words are out of place, it would do him a lot of good. There is nothing wrong with correcting me, but I think he is too young to do it. He will realise that with time. I do not stop to analyse everything he says, because from my point of view, he does not have the general behaviour of a person I admire. I like people who are more humble.”
