Real Madrid’s match against Valencia was marred by racial slurs which were once again directed at Meringues player Vinicius Junior. At the end of the match, which ended with the Madrid team losing 1-0, Carlo Ancelotti made no secret of his outrage.
“I don’t want to talk about football. I want to talk about what happened here, I think it’s more important. What happened today doesn’t have to happen, it’s pretty clear, an entire stadium is screaming ‘monkey’ at a player.” and a coach therefore considers hiring a player. There’s something wrong with this league,” he said.
Ancelotti said he was “saddened” by the “racist reaction” from Valencia fans to visitor Vinicius, a “very serious and unacceptable problem” in Spanish football, for which he called for strong action.
“I spoke to him during the match, the atmosphere was very warm, very bad and I asked him if I could continue. That I think I should remove him because the atmosphere is racist does not seem right to me. What happened to me today never bothered me it had happened before it is unacceptable The Spanish League has a problem, it is not Vinicius, he is the victim of a very serious problem.”at a press conference.
Vinicius criticized La Liga and Spanish football fans for “normal racism” in the competition that caused the Brazilian player to stop playing the match.
“I didn’t want to continue. I told him it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t his fault. He kept playing and they still send him off for something stupid. (…) It was a whole stadium, not just one person, as in other cases. We have to stop that. And I would say that too if we had won 3-0,” said the Real Madrid coach.
Lula da Silva calls for action
“It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it’s normal, the federation thinks it’s normal and the opponents encourage it. I regret it. It was already from Ronaldinho.” “Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi are racists these days,” the footballer wrote on Twitter.
“A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which agreed to export to the world the image of a racist country. I’m sorry for the Spaniards who disagree, but today Spain is in Brazil known as a country of racists,” added.
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 Federation too and the opponents encourage it. I’m very sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists. A nation…
-Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 21, 2023
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned the racist insults against Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior during the match against Valencia and called on authorities to take action.
“I want to make a gesture of solidarity with Vinicius, a young man who is undoubtedly Real Madrid’s best player and who has been repeatedly attacked. I hope that FIFA and other entities take measures to prevent racism from taking over football,” said Lula. in a post on the social network Twitter on Sunday.
I want to make a gesture of solidarity with the @vinijr, a young man who is certainly Real Madrid’s best player, who is repeatedly insulted. I hope FIFA and other entities take steps to prevent racism from taking over football.
— Lula (@LulaOficial) May 21, 2023
Vinícius confronted the supporters who allegedly uttered the racist slurs, with play being interrupted for several minutes in the second half.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea spoke to stadium officials, who issued an announcement asking for the racial slurs to stop before play resumed.
According to AFP, the referee wrote in the post-match report that a fan yelled “monkey monkey” at the player.
The president of the association, Javier Tebas, responded and asked the footballer not to be “manipulated”: “Before you criticize and insult LaLiga, you must inform yourself, Vinicius (…) Do not be manipulated and make sure that you understand each other’s skills and the work we’ve done together”.
Vinicius continued the exchange of messages on social networks and responded to Tebas’s message, asking for “action and punishment”. “Again, instead of criticizing the racists, the president of La Liga appears on social networks to attack me. No matter how much you talk and pretend not to read, the image of your championship will be shaken,” said the player.
La Liga has requested all available footage to open an investigation, stating that “once the investigation is complete, in the event of a hate crime being discovered, La Liga will take appropriate legal action”.
Source: DN
