Real Madrid’s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, expressed his dissatisfaction with FIFA’s racism protocol in football, labeling it as “obsolete.” His remarks came in the wake of Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior being subjected to despicable racist taunts by Valencia fans during a La Liga match on Sunday. Spanish police subsequently arrested three fans in connection with the incident.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea invoked the racism protocol after Vinicius confronted the fans, singling out one who had directed abuse at him. The three-step process initiated by FIFA involves temporarily halting the match for a stadium announcement urging an end to racist abuse, which occurred at Mestalla.

Ancelotti argued that the protocol should have been activated earlier, stating, “The protocol had to be applied when the team bus reached the stadium because the insults started there.” He emphasized that the derogatory comments were not isolated and had begun two hours before the game, contrary to claims by some Valencia representatives. Video footage surfaced on Monday, showing Valencia fans chanting racist slurs at Real Madrid players, including Vinicius, upon their arrival at Mestalla.

“The protocol has to start there,” Ancelotti emphasized, contending that initiating the protocol in the 70th minute was a mistake. “It has to start two hours before the game, and then during the game. It’s obsolete, yes,” he added.

While Vinicius had described Spain as a “racist country” in a statement shared on Instagram, Ancelotti disagreed but stressed the need for decisive action against racism. “Spain is not racist, I have to say that too, but there is racism in Spain, like in other places, and that has to end,” he affirmed. Ancelotti urged institutions to take radical measures promptly to address this pressing issue.