Vinicius will be the captain of Brazil in the match to be held in Spain against racism

Vinicius Junior will captain Brazil for the first time in an international friendly against Spain on Tuesday, in response to the racism the Real Madrid striker faced.

Vinicius Junior will captain Brazil for the first time in an international friendly against Spain on Tuesday, which has been organized by both countries’ federations in response to racism suffered by the Real Madrid forward.

As part of the initiative, players will pose for the national anthem wearing a black T-shirt with the slogan: “One skin, one identity” written in Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Vinicius, 23, cried during an emotional press conference on Monday as he spoke about the racist abuse he faced in Spain.

“Playing football is important, but the fight against racism is very important,” he said.

“The only thing I want is to keep playing and for everyone to have a normal life.”

Repeated racist abuse against Vinicius has sparked a heated debate about tolerance for racism in Spain. Spain’s Education and Sports Minister Pilar Alegría on Tuesday highlighted the government’s commitment to tackling racial discrimination while condemning incidents related to the issue.

“Violence, racism, xenophobia, discrimination of any kind are contrary to the values ​​that sport represents,” he said.

“Every two weeks there are meetings with the Spanish Sports Council, LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation to sanction this type of violent behaviour.

“We are moving in this direction to eliminate xenophobic and racist behavior from sport as well as society, because unfortunately, we are constantly experiencing it.”