Vinicius leads a FIFA campaign to combat racism

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior will lead a special FIFA committee composed of players that will propose stronger sanctions to counter discriminatory behavior in sport.

Junior was subjected to racist abuse during his team’s match against Valencia last May, which is the tenth case targeting the 22-year-old.

Infantino met with Vinicius and the Brazil national team, which faces Guinea in Barcelona on Saturday, as part of an anti-racism campaign led by the Brazilian Federation.

“No more football amid racism. Matches must stop immediately when this happens. That’s enough,” the FIFA president said.

He added, “I asked Vinicius to head a group of players that will introduce penalties against racism that are more stringent than the measures applied by football authorities around the world. Players who need to work in a safer environment must be heard. We are serious about that.”

He concluded, “We need harsher penalties, and racism in football cannot be tolerated more, and as FIFA president, I felt the need to speak with Vinicius personally about this matter.”