THE world is watching.

Sunday saw Spanish side Valencia beat Real Madrid in La Liga to confirm their status in the top flight for at least another season.

But the win was overshadowed by events in the stands for the duration of the match. Because as the game was going on, Valencia supporters were racially abusing Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr.

The black Brazilian winger has been the subject of racist abuse for the majority of this season. Fans of various Spanish teams have decided that the 21-year-old deserved to be treated like he wasn’t human.

And what happened on Sunday seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The referee stopped the game, Vinicius Jnr pointed out to the referee one “supporter” who was making monkey gestures but there were thousands.

The game continued, the abuse continued and, to cap off an awful afternoon, only one player was sent off — the man who was racially abused.

As tensions flared between both sets of players in the dying embers of the match, a scuffle broke out which ended up seeing Hugo Duro get Vinicius in a chokehold.

That image is horrifying in itself. What made things comical — for a lack of a better term — Vinicius swatted him away, caught him in his face and was shown a straight red card.

As he walked off the pitch, head held high, the Madrid superstar gestured to the crowd a peace sign before pointing down — signifying that the club were to be relegated.

This somehow led to the commentator saying that Vinicius was wrong for antagonising the crowd and that was why he was being racially abused.

“We must stand against the racial abuse of Vinicius. But he is no saint. He is provoking fans and that is not right.”

They later added: “Vinicius getting racial abuse is bad but he needs to take a look at this own actions.”

In the post-match press conference, a journalist argued with Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and tried to argue that the fans were not racially abusing the winger, instead calling him silly.

“Since you’ve previously had problems with the language, I’ll clarify it for you. Mestalla wasn’t chanting ‘monkey’ [mono], they were chanting ‘silly’ [tonto]. It’s a serious accusation to say a whole stadium was racist.”

To which Ancelotti responded by saying” “Whether it was ‘mono’ or ‘tonto,’ the referee stopped the game to open the racism protocol. He wouldn’t do that if they just chanted ‘tonto.’ Speak to referee.”

These actions, defending the racist abuse or flatly lying about what was being said, have allowed Spanish fans to get away with racism for years — decades, in fact.

The La Liga president Javier Tebas blaming Vinicius for his role in it means nothing will change. In a statement, posted on social media in the aftermath, Vinicius said: “It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga.

“The competition thinks it’s normal, the [Spanish Football] Federation does too and the opponents encourage it.

“I’m so sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi today belongs to racists.”

For reasons only known to himself, Tebas decided to challenge the statement instead of offering Vinicius his unwavering support.

“Because those who should do it, don’t explain to you what the Liga does in these cases, we have tried to explain it to you, but you have not shown up for any of the appointments that you yourself had requested,” said Tebas in a statement.

“Before criticising and insulting La Liga, it is necessary that you inform yourself properly.

“Don’t let yourself be manipulated and make sure you fully understand each other’s skills and the work we’ve done together.”

Naturally, and rightfully, the player responded. “Once again, La Liga president appears on his social media attacking me instead of criticising the racists. 

“While you talk and pretend not to read, the brand of your competition is in shambles. Look at the replies of some of your publications and be surprised. 

“Ignoring this matter puts you in the same level as the racists. I’m not your friend to talk about racism. I want actions and punishments. Hashtags don’t move me.”

He’s right. There needs to be actions and punishments and the time for fines are over.

Reverse the result, give Madrid a 3-0 win which takes Valencia from 40 points to 37 with three games remaining and two points above the relegation zone.

Then deduct them 12 points, relegating them from La Liga. There will be outrage, Valencia will be furious and will feel harshly done by.

But that’s the point. I’ve been writing in this paper for years about the only way to combat racists in football is to hit them where it hurts and fines are meaningless.

Valencia having to start next season in the second division will be a stark reminder of why they are there.

But there need to be more punishments. Tebas needs to be out of a job. He’s shown time and time again that he is not fit to run this league.

And there needs to be a clear message to any future fans that there will be clear consequences if you are caught being racist on this scale.

The first is that match will be rewarded to your opponents. And then you will be deducted 12 points.

If fans want to continue with their behaviour after that then be my guest. But don’t start crying when your actions prevent you from competing at the top level.

Stadium closures don’t scare fans any more. They had to live through an entire season of games being played behind closed doors.

It’s not making an example of Valencia — it’s starting a process which should hopefully kick racism out of football once and for all.

Hopefully it’s a tactic that is backed and introduced across the rest of the leagues across the world, both at professional and amateur level.

The world is watching.