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Bahia president Guilherme Bellintani announced that midfielder Ramírez, accused by Gerson of racial injury during Flamengo’s victory over Brasileirão, will be reinstated to the squad.
According to the Fla midfielder’s report on the field, the Colombian would have said “shut up, black” during a discussion after the first goal of the Bahian team. The score was 2 to 1. Ramirez denied the accusation, later claiming, on video, that he said “play serious.”
PLUS: The Gerson de Flamengo case exposes the lack of preparation of the entities to face racism
– We tried and could not identify any evidence or circumstance that was not the word of the victim. This is not reductionism. The word of the victim is relevant and important. Punctuation. I couldn’t say that the best decision would be to abandon Ramírez’s presumption of innocence. We consolidate the idea that he must remain in the club, be immediately reinstated and be attentive to the processes that are happening: police, prosecutors, STJD, understanding that any other fact that arises deserves analysis. I looked for this type of guidance, I am the owner of my decisions, the responsibility is mine. Bahia will stand firm and I ask for the trust of the people. There is a very strong message there that we have much more to do – said Benlintani, in an interview with TVE Bahía.
Bellintani said, in an interview with GLOBO, that “the more investigations, the better.” The leader spoke to Gerson himself. On Tuesday, the Flamengo player testified at the Racial Crimes and Intolerance Police Station (DECRADI). An investigation by the Civil Police investigates the player’s complaints. At the same time, the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) of the Attorney General’s Office requested the opening of an investigation to determine if there was any disciplinary infraction by the Bahian player. Gerson told Fla TV why he would have no reason to make up the story.
– I’m one of those who least likes to give an interview, I don’t like to appear a lot. I wasn’t going to appear on television and make an accusation like that … I’m not a clown. And then they would still prove it to be a lie. Would my daughter and my family see me as a liar? I don’t need media. I have to appear in the field. About who they made fun of, I have nothing to say – said the midfielder.
On Thursday, Bahía issued a long official note, in which it ratified the decision to reinstate Ramírez. The foreign-language forensic reports hired by Bahía do not prove racial injury and the club understands that, while giving relevance to the victim’s narrative, it should not distance the athlete Indio Ramírez from the lack of evidence and possible communication differences between speakers of different languages ”.
The club also added that “Bahia’s role is one of training and transformation, always preserving fundamental rights and broad defense. The athlete must be reinstated in the squad as soon as the professionals and psychologists of the technical commission deem it appropriate.”
Club commitment
In the official note, Bahia still says “understand its role as a public interest entity” and still publicly commits to adopt an immediate set of structural measures:
1. Inclusion of an anti-racist, xenophobic and homophobic clause in the athletes’ contract.
2. Proposal to create an anti-discrimination protocol for soccer matches in Brazil.
3. Execution of the project “Dedo na Ferida” for the cast in the preseason. There will be no player wearing the Bahia jersey without first having the opportunity to immerse themselves in structural racism.
4. Referral to the club’s Deliberative Council table for the incorporation of racial quotas in the next elections.
5. Inclusion of space in the Bahia Museum dedicated to combating and debating racism, xenophobia, sexism and LGBT phobia and other forms of intolerance.
6. Support for the bill that creates the National Day Against Racism in Football
And Ramírez vs Bruno Henrique?
In addition to the analysis of the complaint that Gerson made against Ramírez, the review of the Bahía x Flamengo videos generated a discussion between the Colombian and forward Bruno Henrique. The lip-reading reports commissioned by Bahia indicate that Ramírez was called “gringo de m …”. The player himself had reported this in a video posted on Monday.
Bahia, in a note, says that “in addition to being black, we are Northeastern and we know well the power of prejudice and exclusion due to xenophobia. Given this and the evidence, it will be the athlete Ramírez who decides whether or not to report the issue – He supports the Bahian decision ”.
An initial report hired by Fla for the same scenario went on to say that Ramírez had called Bruno Henrique “his black.” Bahia’s version brought the phrase “ok”.
See the full note published by Bahia
“PART 1 – RACISM AND SOCIETY
Racism makes our country bleed. For death, for pain, for closed doors, for discrimination in the labor market, for daily violence in all its forms. Racism enters through the cracks of houses, it is in the streets, in supermarkets, in companies and also in football. It is impregnated on all sides. Fighting racism is everyone’s duty: organizations, governments and, above all, people who have historically benefited from a social and economic structure based on whiteness and racism. Racism is a concrete phenomenon and operates in addition to life expectancy, access to health and guarantees of fundamental rights and human dignity. Racism is persistent, blatant, loud, and often quietly cruel.
PART 2 – BAHIA IN THE RACIAL DEBATE
Three years ago, through the Affirmative Action Center, Bahia became an international benchmark in the fight against racism. The club’s educational campaigns became the subject of college entrance exams and writing in schools. In addition to the campaigns, Bahia was the first soccer team in the world to launch an immersion program to discuss the structural aspects of racism. “Dedo na Ferida” trained 484 people in 15 organizations from 3 Brazilian capitals. Employees, managers, advisers, organized supporters, professionals from the press, as well as non-sport companies participated free of charge. Before that, he paid tribute to black personalities past and present on his shirts. In the grassroots division, Bahia has an extensive human development program with the fight against racism as its main theme. Just 33 days ago, he launched an exclusive internship program for self-proclaimed blacks, with a total of 305 candidates, in another innovation in soccer.
PART 3 – DID IT HAPPEN WITH BAHIA? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
The episode of last Sunday (20), all its repercussion and symbolism reveals to us that the fight against racism must go deeper in our club and in Brazil. Bahia is a reflection of a society that carries racism in its structures. The racial issue cannot serve as a backdrop for a dispute between rival clubs and fans. Racism does not wear a single shirt. The anti-racist stance must be constant and not only when it suits the team we support. In the case of Bahia, although the fight against racism has already been carried out, it would be naive to believe that we would be immunized against such a complex phenomenon that is particularly rooted in Brazilian society. Nobody is! Being anti-racist in Bahia is not only an option of the current administration, but an institutional obligation.
PART 4 - WHAT TO DO?
The foreign language expert opinions hired by Bahia do not prove racial injury and the club considers that, while giving relevance to the victim’s narrative, it should not keep the athlete Indio Ramírez away from the lack of evidence and possible differences in communication between interlocutors. different languages. Bahía’s role is one of formation and transformation, always preserving fundamental rights and broad defense. The athlete must be reinstated to the squad as soon as the professionals and psychologists of the technical commission consider it appropriate.
It is less of an alleged act between two players and more of a proven racist structure that neglects fundamental rights and denies the existence of blacks. Soccer is the reflection of a society that, when it does not deny racism, adheres to a punitive populism that seeks to solve the problem only by punishing the aggressor. Acts of racial discrimination are not “isolated cases”.
Therefore, because it understands its role as a public interest entity, Bahía publicly commits to adopt an immediate set of structural measures:
1. Inclusion of an anti-racist, xenophobic and homophobic clause in the athletes’ contract.
2. Proposal to create an anti-discrimination protocol for soccer matches in Brazil.
3. Execution of the project “Dedo na Ferida” for the cast in the preseason. There will be no player wearing the Bahia jersey without first having the opportunity to immerse themselves in structural racism.
4. Referral to the club’s Deliberative Council table for the incorporation of racial quotas in the next elections.
5. Inclusion of space in the Bahia Museum dedicated to combating and debating racism, xenophobia, sexism and LGBT phobia and other forms of intolerance.
6. Support for the bill that creates the National Day Against Racism in Football
In addition, Bahía will continue to monitor developments that occur outside the club’s bodies, whether in the Civil Police or in the Superior Court of Sports Justice.
In addition to being black, we are from the Northeast and are well aware of the power of prejudice and exclusion due to xenophobia. Given this and the evidence constituted, it will be up to the athlete Ramírez to decide whether or not to report the issue – and Bahia to support the decision.
Since Sunday night, Bahía has been looking for a support network made up of leaders linked to social movements to combat racism, such as the Racial Discrimination Observatory and institutions such as the Public Defender’s Office and the State Prosecutor’s Office, with whom they are building a Term of Commitment. . anti racist. We understand that at that time it is necessary to incorporate a commitment to the real and permanent implementation of the anti-racist agenda. In this way, the institutional support and experience of these actors in this process consolidates and qualifies our decisions.
Many of the actions proposed in this document, among others, will be used in the coming days in agreements, alliances and terms of commitments with the agenda to combat racism. Decisions and proposals during this process had the collaboration of volunteers from our Affirmative Action Center, professors and activists active in the racial debate in universities and in social movements.
Bahía continues to be a club attentive to its role of transformation and social welfare. Soccer is not an end in itself. It is an agent that must promote unity, the preservation of cultural heritage, the struggles for equality and diversity within and outside the four lines.
Esporte Clube Bahia “.
