The Brazilian Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, admitted on Tuesday that he had used the “principle of extraterritoriality” to apply Brazilian law in the case of racist insults against soccer player Vinicius Jr., in case there is an omission by the Spanish authorities.
“We are studying the possibility of using a principle called extraterritoriality; the penal code provides that, in some exceptional situations, it is possible that in the case of crimes against Brazilians abroad, Brazilian law may be applied,” said the official, referring to Insults Racist abuse of which the Real Madrid footballer was a victim in the match played in Valencia, against the local team.
“It is an extreme remedy, without a doubt, but it can work, if necessary,” argued the official, writes Folha de São Paulo, quoted by the Spanish news agency, EFE, adding: “It is not something we are going to do” . to do directly, is a study that we are carrying out on the possibility, which we do not believe, of an omission on the part of the Spanish authorities”.
The principle of extraterritoriality is provided for in the criminal code, at the request of the Minister of Justice, the official added on Twitter, arguing that “it can work as a response to an unjust aggression against a compatriot” abroad.
“I think it is useful for everyone to know about the existence of this protection of the rights of Brazilians; certainly, this principle also exists in Spain and in other countries”, stressed the Brazilian government minister, who has already asked Spain to act against the racism that player suffers “repeatedly”.
The statements by the Brazilian official come on the same day that FIFA reinforced that racism has no place in football or in society.
“We stand in solidarity with Vinícius Júnior. There is no place for racism in football or in society. FIFA supports all players who are the target of demonstrations of this nature,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote in a message posted on the organization’s social media. .
Infantino considered that the insults pronounced against the Brazilian player in the Mestalla stadium, during the match of the 35th day of the Spanish League, show that “the fight against racism is crucial” and recalled that FIFA recommends a series of procedures in the fight against the phenomenon, which must be applied at all levels and scales.
“In the first phase, the game is interrupted and asked to stop [com os comportamentos discriminatórios]. In a second moment, the players leave the field of play and it is announced that if the conduct continues, the match will be suspended. Then the game resumes and, if the behavior continues, it must be suspended and the three points will be awarded to the visiting team”, explained Infantino, who added that these guidelines must be applied in all countries and competitions.
The FIFA president admitted that “it is easier said than done”, but considered that the fight against racism must be inculcated from an early age and can only be done through education.
FIFA’s message of support is added to others received by Vinícius Júnior, including that of the Brazilian president, Lula da Silva, who called for “serious measures” to be taken against those responsible.
“I sympathize with Vinícius, a young man who is undoubtedly the best player at Real Madrid and who has suffered repeated attacks. I hope that FIFA and other entities take measures to prevent racism from taking over football,” Lula said on Sunday. , in a message on the social network Twitter.
Vinícius, who was sent off after attacking a rival, right at the end of the game (90+7), which the ‘merengues’ lost 1-0, criticized the Spanish League and the fans with a message posted on social networks.
“It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition believes it is normal, the federation believes it is normal and the opponents encourage it. I’m sorry. Once it was Ronaldinho’s, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, today is one of the racists,” the footballer wrote on Twitter.
The president of the Spanish League, Javier Tebas, reacted and asked the footballer not to allow himself to be “manipulated”: “Before criticizing and insulting LaLiga, you must inform yourself well Vinícius (…) Do not let yourself be manipulated and make sure that understands each other’s abilities and the work we’ve been doing together.”
For his part, the Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said he was “sad” by the “racist reaction” of Valencia fans towards Vinícius, describing it as a “very serious and unacceptable problem” in Spanish football, for which He called for strong measures.
LaLiga requested all available images to open an investigation.
In recent months, Vinícius, 22, has been the target of various racist insults and, at the end of January, the player was the protagonist of an episode that led the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to send a letter to the ruler. football organizations (FIFA, UEFA and CONMEBOL), concrete measures to penalize racist conduct and raise awareness on the subject.
Source: TSF
