May 25, (THEWILL) – La Liga President, Javier Tebas, has expressed his confidence in eradicating racism from Spanish football within six months, provided the correct legal framework is in place.
The issue has been a long-standing concern, but it gained widespread attention when Real Madrid winger, Vinicius Junior, spoke out about being subjected to abuse at Valencia. Vinicius labelled Spain a racist country due to “continuous episodes across several cities,” prompting his club to file a hate crime complaint.
While acknowledging the league’s limited authority under current laws, Tebas firmly believes that with more power, La Liga can swiftly address the problem. The President publicly apologised for his initial response to Vinicius on social media, acknowledging the league’s constrained position in identifying and reporting incidents with limited consequences for offenders. However, the outspoken Tebas remains resolute in his ability to tackle the issue head-on.
He said: “What we want is the power to do more things. With the power, we are convinced that within months this would be solved.” He stressed the competencies required to combat intolerable behaviours such as racism and homophobia, insisting that by modifying the law urgently, progress could be made.
La Liga intends to submit a formal request to the Spanish government and political parties, urging the modification of laws to combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance. Tebas acknowledged past shortcomings, admitting that previous complaints made directly to the courts did not yield sufficient results. He also assured Vinicius of his full support.
