(Madrid) Real Madrid announced on Friday that it had filed a complaint after the racist insults uttered on Wednesday against its Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior before the Champions League matches Barcelona-Naples and Atlético Madrid-Inter Milan.
“Real Madrid has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office” for “hate and discrimination offenses” after “the racist and hateful insults addressed to our player Vinicius Junior,” the Spanish club said in a press release.
“Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks” which “happen, unfortunately, repeatedly” against this player, adds the Merengue club, which specifies that it has asked the prosecution for help from the police to identify the perpetrators of the insults.
“Our club will continue to work to defend the values of football and sport, and will remain firm in its fight for zero tolerance in the face of episodes as repugnant as those which continue to take place in recent times,” insists the Madrid club.
The new insults against Vinicius took place near the Montjuic stadiums in Barcelona and the Metropolitano in Madrid, before the knockout stages of the Champions League between Barça and Naples and Atletico against Inter Milan. .
On Thursday, Vinicius himself called on UEFA to “punish” those responsible for these attacks, after the broadcast on social networks of a video showing Atlético supporters chanting “alé, alé, alé, Vinicius chimpanzee” .
“It’s a sad reality that happens even during matches where I am not present,” regretted in this message Vinicius, victim of multiple racist acts or insults since his arrival in Madrid in 2018, which made him an icon of the anti-racist fight.
Asked on Friday about these events, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti recognized the existence of a “problem” and called on the authorities to “act” to put an end to it.
“It is necessary to act to avoid these kinds of problems and horrible things that affect our society. Criminals should not be on the streets,” he insisted at a press conference.
LaLiga has also filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office over these events, although it is not its own competition. From Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva showed his support for the player.
On March 26, Spain and Brazil will play a friendly match at the Santiago Bernabéu, organized in response to the insults Vinicius received last season during a match against Valencia.