Basketball: target of racism in Spain, Yago Mateus praises Vini Jr.

A Brazilian offended because of the color of his skin, in Spain, while exercising his profession. It could be one of several episodes of racism that striker Vinícius Júnior went through this season, but the victim is another – and so is the sport. It is Yago Mateus, point guard for the men’s basketball team, called “monkey” during a Euroleague game at the beginning of the year. Yago plays in German basketball for Ratiopharm Ulm. In February, the team went to Spain to face Joventut Badalona, ​​for the continental tournament. At one point, a fan of the home team shouts “mono” (monkey in Spanish) to the former player of clubs like Flamengo and Paulistano, while people around laugh. The moment was captured by the images of the TV broadcast. “It’s a very difficult thing. At first, I didn’t know how to act, but it’s something that stayed in my head, in my heart. It made me very angry to think how people could do this to others, with racist, homophobic insults. I was very angry and I saw it with sadness when it happened. When it happened to me, I felt this pain and I don’t wish it on anyone”, commented Yago, in a video statement to Agência Brasil. On the occasion, Vinícius Júnior was one of the personalities who gave solidarity to Yago. The striker himself had already been the constant target of racist demonstrations in Spanish Championship games. After the new attack on the Real Madrid player, in a duel against Valencia, the basketball player published a long text on Instagram and praised Vini Jr as a “flag” of the fight against racism in the world. “Despite being our work, our sport, it’s not pretending that nothing happened, because we’ve already pretended for a long time and stopped talking for a long time. In recent times, not only me, not only Vini, we’re talking and showing to the world that [o racismo] it doesn’t have to happen and the repercussions are being huge. I think it’s a way for us to change. This is not sport. This is a crime “, highlighted Yago. Start punishing these people or we’ll go back to the way it was before. But while you don’t do anything, we’ll keep fighting for ours. 🖤✊🏿 go ahead my bro! 🥺✊🏿 https://t.co/Z2GLEAIRbu — Vini Jr. (@vinijr) February 8, 2023 The insults against Yago provoked reactions. Joventud, in a statement, stated, at the time, that they had made the gymnasium cameras available to the authorities. The Euroleague Players Association said that ” such behavior has no place in sport or in life” and that he expected “appropriate measures” against the fan. The person responsible for the offenses was banned from watching the Spanish team’s games. “I have faith in God that all this will change, that people will respect yourself and who does that [racismo] really pay for the crime you committed. Let it not happen in a stadium or on the street. It’s not human,” concluded the 24-year-old guard.

Agência Brasil