‘Racism is normal in La Liga’… Vinicius Junior targeted with insults and sent off during Real Madrid game at Valencia

Vinicius Junior continues to be taken to task on the Spanish grounds. During the match of his Real Madrid in Valencia (lost 1-0), Sunday May 21, the Brazilian striker complained of having been the target of racist insults, uttered by an opposing supporter. The latter explained to the referee that he had been treated as “mono” (monkey in Spanish).

As tension mounted between the players of both teams, minutes from the end of a game crucial to the Merengues’ European future and the club’s survival in Che’s top flight, Vinicius was finally sent off after a slap in the face. to Hugo Duro, in the middle of a scuffle.

“We all support Vinicius”

“If we insult a ‘monkey’ player, and the coach has to think about taking him out or not, there is a problem”denounced Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match. “This league has a problem with racism. The game must be stopped, there is no other option.” The Italian also revealed that his striker no longer wanted to continue playing on the pitch.

Several Vinicius teammates also came to defend him. “Vinicius is despised and disrespected at every stadium in Spain. We have to protect him. We can’t go on like this”railed Dani Ceballos at the microphone of the Spanish channel Movistar. “If Vinicius had told me he didn’t want to play anymore because of the insults, I would have followed him and walked off the pitch with him. We all support Vinicius,” assured for his part, the goalkeeper of the team, Thibaut Courtois.

Vinicius Junior himself reacted on his social networks after the meeting. “With my expulsion, the racists have won. It’s not football, it’s La Liga”first wrote the latter in a story on Instagram.

“I will go all the way against racists, even if it is far from here”

Then, he wrote a long message on Twitter in which he targeted La Liga clubs and the Spanish Football Federation: “Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi now belongs to the racists. Spain is a beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love. I am sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists (. ..). I am strong and I will go all the way against the racists. Even if it is far from here”.

It is at least the sixth time this season that racist insults have been heard in the stadiums of Spanish clubs facing Real Madrid at home, after Girona (April 26), Mallorca (February 5), Valladolid (December 30 ), before the match at Atlético de Madrid (September 18) and during the Clasico in Barcelona (March 19).

Since 2021, La Liga have opened nine investigations for racist insults uttered against Vinicius. In a press release shared on Sunday evening, she announced the opening of a new investigation, based on “all images available” of the incident.