Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, made a plea on Thursday for a coordinated effort to combat the widespread racism in international football.

Following several incidents of abuse directed against Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior, a forward for Brazil, among other people, Infantino stated during a CONMEBOL conference that there were "problems" in the sport.

He remarked, "We have to be united to fight racism," during a gathering in Asuncion that was attended by the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, two countries who, along with Argentina, will host the 2030 World Cup's opening matches.

"People like Vinicius are in pain. Those assaults have no justification. In order to combat violence worldwide, we must band together," stated Infantino.

In an effort to combat racism, Spain and Brazil played a friendly match in Madrid last month. Vinicius has been the target of countless racist taunts in prior seasons.

Prior to the game, Vinicius stated that as racist events against him mounted in Spain, he was becoming less and less motivated to play football.

In recent months, abuse has also been inflicted upon other players of colour in Europe, Brazil, and other places.

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