Deal with ‘shadow side’ of sports, UN rights chief says after Vinicius abuse

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he had asked his office to prepare a policy brief looking into the issue of racism in sports

The United Nations rights chief decried Wednesday the racist attacks on Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior during a match in Spain, urging concerted efforts to root racism out of sports.

“We are calling on all those organised sport events everywhere in the world to counter and combat and prevent racism,” Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva.

His comments came after 22-year-old Real Madrid forward Vinicius was targeted with shouts of “monkey” from the stands during a match in Valencia on Sunday — the latest in a series of racist attacks against him.

More details on SportsDesk

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