Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has slammed after he was allegedly racially abused by a fan and then kicked off during Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Valencia on Sunday, saying racism is normal in LaLiga.
Play was stopped for nearly 10 minutes during the second half at the Mestalla, after Vinicius identified the fans behind Valencia’s goal.
Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea activated Spanish football’s anti-racism protocol, warning fans during stoppage-time that further racist comments would result in play being suspended.
Vinicius initially said he did not want to continue but decided to continue after discussions with coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“That’s not the first, or the second, or the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” Vinicius wrote on Instagram.
“The competition thinks it’s normal, the [Spanish Football] Federation does too, and the opponents push it.
“I am very sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, now belongs to the racists. A beautiful country, which welcomed me and which I love, but has agreed to export the image of a racist country.” to the world.
“I’m sorry for the Spaniards who don’t agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a racist country. And unfortunately, with everything that happens every week, I can’t defend it. I agree. But I am strong and I will fight until end against the racists. Even if it’s far from here.”
Speaking to Movistar after the game, Carlo Ancelotti stood by his players, saying that LaLiga has a problem with racism.
“I don’t want to talk about football. I want to talk about what happened here. It is more important than defeats,” Ancelotti told Movistar. “What happened here today shouldn’t have happened… Something bad has happened in this league.
“[Vinicius] didn’t want to continue. I told him it wasn’t fair if you had to stop the game. You are not responsible, you are not the one at fault, you are the victim. And he carried on playing.”
Vinicius was then sent off in the 97th minute after scuffling with substitute Hugo Duro, and then sparked a confrontation with the Valencia bench with a hint suggesting Valencia would be relegated to the second division.
“It was a red card that didn’t make sense because it wasn’t aggression,” said Ancelotti. “For me, Vinicius is the most important player in the world, the strongest player in the world. LaLiga has a problem. For me, with this racist incident, they have to stop the game. Because this is not one person. It is a stadium that insults players. The game must stop I would have said the same if we had won 3-0. There was no other way.”
Vinicius has suffered repeated racist abuse from home fans in recent seasons, with LaLiga filing formal complaints after incidents at Mallorca, Real Valladolid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
The Brazilian forward said he felt the measures taken were not enough to address the problem.
“I told [the referee] that he had to stop play,” said Ancelotti. “He said [the league’s anti-racism] protocol said we had to inform [the fans] first, and if they continued, the game would stop.
“[Vinicius] was very sad. It was sadness, not anger. The reaction [which led to Vinicius being sent off] was quite normal. No buts. A stadium makes racist insults. Let’s see what happens. I want to know. … Not going to happen nothing Normally, nothing would happen.
“We can’t accept it, we can’t tolerate it,” said goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “If Vini wants to continue playing, we will continue playing, but if Vini says he doesn’t want to play, I will go with him off the pitch. We cannot tolerate these things.”
Vinicius received messages of support from home, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calling on world governing body FIFA to stop racism in football.
“I want to express my solidarity with our Brazilian player, a poor kid who made it in life and has the potential to become one of the best players in the world, certainly the best at Real Madrid. And he is attacked in every stadium he plays in.” ,” he said at a press conference.
“I think it is important that FIFA, the Spanish league and leagues in other countries take concrete action, because we cannot allow fascism and racism to dominate football stadiums.”
