LaLiga president Javier Tebas said on Thursday that he is concerned about the reputational damage suffered by the league over racist abuse aimed at Vinicius, and said he would support points deductions as a punishment to deal with the problem.
Tebas has faced widespread criticism for his initial response to Vinicius when engaging in a social media debate with the forward — who had said that “racism is normal in LaLiga” — after Vinicius was racially abused in Real Madrid‘s league match at Valencia on Sunday.
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Police made three arrests this week over the incident at Mestalla, while the Spanish football federation (RFEF)’s Competition Committee hit Valencia with a five-match closure of the stand where the abuse occurred, which the club have said they will appeal.
A day after apologising for the offence caused by his interaction with Vinicius — in an interview with ESPN Brasil — Tebas held a 90-minute long news conference at LaLiga’s headquarters in Madrid in which he set out the action the league has taken on racism.
“Of course I’m worried [about LaLiga’s image],” Tebas said. “If I wasn’t, I’d be crazy. LaLiga has worked to fight against racist insults. But obviously it worries me… It’s a blow, but we’ll work to recover the reputation we may have lost. We think it doesn’t reflect the reality.”
