"If all black players were like Vinicius, racism would end"

Racism is still very present in society. Last Saturday, Spanish football made headlines around the world because there were 3 regrettable episodes, the victims being Sevilla's Quique Sanchez Flores and 'Huevo' Acuna, and Rayo Majadahonda goalkeeper Cheikh Sarr.

Vinicius, who fights against this scourge, showed his public support for all of them and the Senegalese goalkeeper, who was even expelled for reproaching a fan for insults, highlighted the role of the Brazilian player in interviews he gave to 'El Mundo' and 'El Partidazo de COPE'.

"I support Vini to the end. He has lived it a lot of times and I have always supported him. It's not normal. Stop racism because it has no place in sport, it makes no sense. I am very proud of Vinicius, the way he acts, the way he speaks out. We thank him for supporting us and for fighting against racism. He can't do it alone. If all black players were like him, racism would end", said the goalkeeper.

In relation to the incident itself, Sarr explained what he experienced at that moment when he was being insulted: "In the second half, when we changed pitch, I started to hear some shouts. In the 50th minute they started to make monkey sounds. In the 82nd minute, after conceding the second goal, I went to get some water to drink. Then I heard everything: 'F*cking black guy, f*cking black guy'. Before that there were many other people who insulted, not only me, they also insulted the Spaniards, many people. But then I heard this man.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I was very nervous. I had heard the screams. I am in Ramadan... I wanted to ask him why he was treating me like that, whether or not he had a family and could understand me.  I had no intention of assaulting him at all, not at all. That's why I grabbed him by the scarf. How could I hit him? I have never assaulted anyone. A person who has suffered racism should not be punished. I'll be surprised if they do, but I'll have to accept it," he added.

April 1, 2024

The referee of the match indicated in the minutes that the goalkeeper confronted the stands and also him, and Cheikh Sarr referred to the referee's action: "I don't know what will happen with the decision of the Competition Committee, but I would like them to think about this. Nobody who is insulted can be punished for reacting. I insist. It wasn't violence, it was a desire for dialogue. What's more, the referee didn't even come over to ask me what had happened. How can that be? To be honest, I thought the first thing he was going to do was to protect me, but he didn't. What he did was to send me off. 

On the other hand, the Senegalese wanted to show his gratitude to his club and his teammates, who left the pitch when the racist incident occurred. "They have done a lot for me these days and have treated me with affection. Nobody spoke to me about it, it was the captain's decision and I thank him for that. At that moment I couldn't even speak, I didn't understand. I wouldn't have wanted to continue playing if I hadn't been sent off. I didn't make an aggressive gesture, I went to talk to him," he said.

Finally, Sarr gave his opinion on whether Spain is a racist country. "I think there is racism in all countries, but that doesn't mean that countries are racist as a whole. It is those people who must be taken out of the fields and punished in society and those of us who may have suffered from it must be protected", he concluded.