Santiago Canizares, the former goalkeeper for Real Madrid and Valencia, commented on Vinicius Junior's remarks regarding racism following his statements about potentially relocating the 2030 World Cup from Spain if the country does not resolve its racism issues.
Vinicius had previously stated that the World Cup should be moved away from Spain unless the nation addresses its racism problem. Mundo Deportivo quotes Canizares' reply, citing Cadena Cope:
If Vinícius Júnior isn't very popular in Spain it's not because of his race. There are questions regarding his maturity.
Canizares reminded listeners of Vinicius's earlier accusations towards the Mestalla Stadium, labeling it as racist. He expressed a preference for listening to representatives from Spain, such as Dani Carvajal or Luis de la Fuente, over Vinicius.
Canizares, a Real Madrid academy graduate, played 55 matches for the club, conceding 61 goals and keeping 21 clean sheets before retiring in July 2008.
Earlier, Spain's Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, responded to Vinicius's comments about racism and the 2030 World Cup.
