Brazil state passes 'Vini law' to combat racism

Legislators in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro have passed a law named after Brazilian star Vinicius Jose Paixao de Oliveira Junior, dubbed the 'Vini Jr. Law'.

The law is in reaction to Vinicius Junior being subjected to multiple racist waves of abuse in Spain while playing for Real Madrid.

Brazilian outlet Globo indicated that the Vini law is an act approved to fight against racism in football and it entails that matches should be halted whenever racism incidents occur.

The State deputy Prof. Josemar, who drafted the law, explained the significance, stating the policy is needed to command respect and curtail racism in stadiums.

“Reinforced the need to create a policy to encourage respect, as well as a protocol to combat racism in stadiums.”

The law saw a unanimous approval by the legislature, which Josemar tweeted: “an important step towards combating racism in football stadiums.”

Vinicius was subjected to racist slurs and got sent off when his reaction led to an altercation between Real Madrid and Valencia players in their 1-0 defeat on Sunday, May 21, 2023.

After the game, Vinicius took to social media to vent his resentment at Spanish Football for turning a blind eye to similar abuses he has received throughout the season.

La Liga said in an immediate release stated that they were looking into the incident and pleaded with people to provide further videos of the incident to aid with their inquiry.

EE/OGB