Kameni gives different opinion on Vinicius and racial abuse

Spain is the racist country, many Brazilians will say today. After seeing the scenes of racial abuse of their beloved Vinicius Jr. which happens almost every week i La Ligue, even the player himself will confirm that his native country has a very negative opinon of Spain. But, there are other players, just as black as Vinicius, who are loving Spain and are coming back there. One of them is the famous Cameroonian keeper Carlos Kameni. Former Espanyol and Malaga player is now 39 years old and went back to Spain, to play third-tier football for Antequera in Andalusia.

And Kameni, also a target of racial abuse throughout his career, gives a different angle on the same situation. His belief is that Vinicius gets a lot more abuse than other black players due to his attitude.

“If he had a different attitude, I think a little bit yes, that’s why when you talk to people about Vinicius, they tell you that he is provocative. There you see that it is more because of his attitude than anything else, because there are many black players in the league who do not suffer from it every weekend. Many times when there is a problem, not fighting does not mean that you are not right. Silence solves many things. They yell at you and you continue doing your thing. I have seen footballers like Iniesta, anyone who kicked him, he stood up looking at you as if to say ‘what have I done to you to deserve this?’ You are not going to go in the same way next time. But if he gets up and does so like that, it makes you want to hit him even more, even though you know you made a mistake” explained Kameni to Relevo.

Vinicius says he was racially abused by a child at the Seville game

Cameroonian keeper is very cautious not to sound like he thinks it's all about Vinicus, because it's not, but wants to explain different ways to deal with racism.

“I don’t want to disrespect anyone or be misunderstood, because no matter how much we are children of the same father or mother, we all have a different way of reacting to the same problem. I wouldn’t take it the same way. I feel very loved where I have gone, I have even experienced that in some fields that now applaud me. Returning a shout or insult is getting into their game, putting yourself at their level… Many times silence is the best way to respond, and you have to consider that the player has a playing style that can be interpreted as provocation. It’s not that you have to change your way of playing, but your physical attitude or reaction does greatly influence how things go more or less. For example, if the same Valencia fan shouts at me and I answer him, insulting him, that ends differently. I think taking a calmer and more polite tone with them is the key” said Kameni.

Spain arrests seven over Vinicius racism incidents

The Cameroonian keeper is glad that La Liga is finally taking some action against racism and reveals that the key support to the player must come from the dressing room.

“I said a long time ago that it had to be stopped and I am happy that decisions are now being made. The situation has not improved because we continue to experience this almost every weekend, but in the way of attacking the problem, the sanctions are there. Before they said they were going to investigate, but the actions never came. Honestly, I have never expected help from anyone. The good thing was knowing that my teammates were with me, that’s the most important thing. If you’re in a mess like that and you don’t have the support of your loved ones, you’re dead. I don’t need the messages, I need them to act, to fine them” said Kameni.