The consequences if Real Madrid had walked off following racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid have backed Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian was racially abused against Valencia on Sunday night, but very much off the pitch. Increasingly, there is talk about doing so on it.

Los Blancos have since filed a legal complaint, and President Florentino Perez met with Vinicius on Monday to ensure he was aware that he had their backing.

After the match, teammate Thibaut Courtois said that there was a moment when Vinicius considered leaving the pitch during the game, and that he would have followed him off if that was what he had wanted.

Meanwhile Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has explained that he is on board with that mode of thinking, and believes games should be stopped if there is any form of racial abuse, and the players should go home.

Speaking to Cadena SER however, former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez has confirmed that had Vinicius done so, then Los Blancos would have been hit with a 3-0 defeat for forfeiting the game.

Iturralde would go on to point out that it is on the referee to apply the racism protocol, which was done so correctly by Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, rather than the players to make the decision.

At first offence, the referee should inform the matchday delegates and have a message over the tannoy explaining that the game will be stopped if racism persists. If that does happen, the next stage is that the match is stopped and the players taken off. Thirdly, should racial abuse continue still, the referee abandons the match.

Given the frequency and the seriousness of the abuse Vinicius has experienced, there are certainly grounds to expect reform in this protocol, set by the RFEF. Having two opportunities to abuse players racially without tangible consequences seems far too permissive currently.