Irish Examiner view: Racism is not a minority problem

Victims are expected to show resilience, as if toughness were the appropriate response to racism rather than the minimum requirement of decent administration

A plastic bottle filled with water is thrown from the stands toward Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior during a Champions League playoff soccer match between Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday. Picture: Pedro Rocha/AP

As in society, racism is not a “minority problem” in sport; it is sport’s problem. Yet again this week, football and rugby offered the same weary script: A black athlete performs, a loud cohort responds with dehumanising abuse, and institutions reach for slow-moving processes.

On Tuesday night in Lisbon, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior alleged he was again racially abused during a Champions League match against Benfica, prompting a stoppage and a Uefa investigation. Whether the allegation concerns a player, supporters, or both, the wider point is inescapable: Vinícius has been forced, repeatedly to be both footballer and campaigner, asked to prove what he says he heard, to relive it publicly, and to keep playing regardless.