Ministry of Sports repudiates racist acts during futsal match at school

The Ministry of Sports released this Saturday (13) a note of condemnation against acts of racism recorded during a football competition at a private school in the Federal District.

The Nossa Senhora de Fátima Franciscan School claims that students from Colégio Galois made racist statements during an interschool competition, held on the 3rd.

Both schools are in the central area of ​​Brasília. In the competition, Galois students would have used terms such as “monkey”, “maid's son” and “pobrinho” to refer to students from the Franciscan School.

The ministry stated that situations like this are “deeply disturbing” and declared that it was “unacceptable that episodes of racial discrimination persist, especially in an environment as important for social and personal development as school sport”.

In a statement, the school stated that, although there were several Galois officials in the gym where the football match was taking place, “no measures” were taken by the professionals. The institution also claims that the “aggressor” students were in uniform, that is, “under the custody and responsibility of the school”.

“It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, we still have to witness acts as disgusting as those directed at our athletes. The school, as the institution responsible for the training and education of children and young people, has the moral and ethical duty to vehemently repudiate any manifestations of prejudice and discrimination”, says a note signed by the school director, Inês Alves Lourenço.

Other side

When contacted, Colégio Galois released a statement stating that it had begun a rigorous internal investigation and that it will seek to identify the students involved in the case, to apply disciplinary measures. The college said it understands that the acts exposed are “extremely serious and require immediate intervention”.

“I make it known that we are in no way inert to what happened. Quite the opposite. We have already initiated a rigorous internal investigation and are committed to not only identifying those involved, but also applying disciplinary measures and further expanding the relevant necessary educational actions.”

The educational institution stated that the alleged offenses do not represent its values ​​and that it repudiates any form of discrimination. “As educators, we believe that education is a powerful tool for social transformation and should be used to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect among everyone, especially among young people. We deeply sympathize with the students and community at Escola Franciscana Nossa Senhora de Fátima who felt offended and hurt.”