Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. was once again the target of racism on Friday. The Brazilian starlet played 88 minutes in his team’s victory over Valladolid.
When Vinicius was substituted, I had to walk around the pitch to the Madrid bench. During this time, rival fans were heard yelling at the players. A video of the incident was posted on Twitter.
Vinicius spoke out about despicable fan behavior after the game. He even argued that La Liga was not enough to curb these incidents. La Liga will do nothing,” said Vinicius.
“I will keep my head high and celebrate my victory and Madrid’s victory and I will continue to do so. In the end it is my fault.”
Spanish league insists hate speech doesn’t belong in sport
La Liga responded to Vinicius’ comments by saying “hate speech is not allowed” in the league. “We are investigating last night’s game and, as always, are working with the club and appropriate authorities to identify and prosecute those guilty of hate speech,” the league statement continued.
“La Liga has detected that videos of racist insults by individuals, not by groups, have been uploaded to social networks. As with previous cases, these videos will be prosecuted.”
Vinicius has been targeted multiple times this season
Agent Pedro Bravo has also previously made racist remarks about Vinicius on a Spanish TV show. At the goal celebration, the agent told the young man, “Stop playing monkeys.” Bravo eventually apologized for the comments.
The young Brazilian was also targeted by Atlético Madrid fans during a match in September. Atleti were quick to condemn Real’s actions following their win early in the season. The club “does not allow individuals to hide behind our colors and utter insults of a racist or xenophobic nature,” the club claimed.
La Liga closed its investigation into the September incident without taking any action. The league claimed it was impossible to identify the perpetrators of the racist chants.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Ricardo Lareina Amador
