Micah Richards says La Liga president Javier Tebas’ response to the racist abuse suffered by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr “makes my blood boil”.
Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse multiple times this season and the latest incident has seen him receive support from the footballing world.
And there has been widespread condemnation of how the incident has been handled, including from the Brazilian government.
After the match, Vinicius and Tebas were involved in a row on Twitter, after the Brazilian said La Liga “belongs to racists” and “in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists”.
Tebas responded by saying Vinicius twice did not turn up for a meeting to discuss what it “can do in cases of racism”, adding: “Before you criticise and slander La Liga, you need to inform yourself properly.”
“Javier [Tebas] has tried to make himself the victim in all this, it’s absolutely embarrassing what he has come out with in his statement,” former Manchester City and England defender Richards told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.
“It makes my blood boil and that is part of the problem. It’s not just a football issue, it’s a life that people go through every single day.”
Real have reported the abuse towards the 22-year-old to the Spanish prosecutor’s office as a hate crime. Spanish prosecutors will now decide whether to pursue a criminal investigation.
‘What chance do we have?’
Richards said measures to try and curb racism in the game were “not working”.
“People don’t care enough and that is the problem,” he added. “If people cared they would do something about it.
“It’s not about taking the knee or wearing Kick it Out shirts because it’s not working. I’m tired of having to talk about the same things that happens over and over again.
“We have spoken enough. The people who need to sort themselves out are the ones who are being racist. Until harsher punishments are delivered it’s always going to be the same.
“If Javier thinks like that, what chance do we have?”
Fellow pundit and former Blackburn and Chelsea striker Chris Sutton called for Tebas to be removed from his position.
“When you have someone in such a powerful position, to have a Twitter spat with Vinicius Jr, to tell him he is wrong, it’s glaringly obvious to everyone there needs to be change in that position,” he said.
“That is a starting point.”
‘It’s not football, it’s inhuman’
In a new social media post on Monday, Vinicius listed the instances of abuse he has suffered this season and said they were not “isolated cases”.
“What is missing to criminalize these people? And punish the clubs sportively? Why don’t the sponsors charge La Liga? Don’t the televisions bother to broadcast this barbarity every weekend?” he said.
He added: “The problem is very serious, and press releases don’t work anymore. Neither does blaming me to justify criminal acts. It’s not football, it’s inhuman.”
Commenting on the post on Instagram, Burnley manager and former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany wrote: “My heart is bleeding when I see these images.
“So much has already been endured by our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers… and still the fight is not over. Our children will not grow up in a world where discrimination and hate prevails. They will know their worth and they will never bow down to those who chose to discriminate, separate and hate. Vinicius, You Are Not Alone. We stand together and we are stronger than ever.”
