The Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro named an anti-racism law that came into force on Wednesday (July 6th, 2023) after national soccer striker Vinicius junior.
Law No. 10.053/23, or “Lei Vini Jr.”, allows sporting events to be suspended or even stopped in the event of incidents of racism. It was passed unanimously on June 6th.
The reason was racist insults against the Real Madrid professional in May at a league game of the “Royal” in Valencia. The case had caused international outrage, Vinicius received a lot of encouragement from sports, politics and society.
Vinicius: “My family is proud”
The 22-year-old was honored several times when the law came into force at a ceremony in the legendary Maracana Stadium. Among other things, his footprint was immortalized next to icons such as Pele, Ronaldo or Garrincha on the Walk of Fame.
“Today is a very special day and I hope my family is proud of me,” said Vinicius: “I’m still very young and I didn’t expect to be honored in this special place. Sometimes I wonder, did I deserve all this?”