After having suffered such a fate this season at Atlético de Madrid, Mallorca and Girona, Vinicius was again the victim of racist insults on Sunday in Valencia (1-0). Sent off in added time for hitting Hugo Duro in the face, who had first attacked him from behind with his elbow, the Real Madrid striker was indeed the target of racist cries on several occasions. mono” (meaning “monkey” in Spanish) from the Mestalla public, as Carlo Ancelotti and Thibaut Courtois denounced in particular after the meeting. This was also interrupted for a few minutes by the referee because of these racist incidents.
Extremely upbeat, which is perfectly understandable given his recent history in the Spanish championship, the Brazilian international dropped on Twitter on Sunday evening: “Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it’s normal, the Federation too and the opponents encourage it. The championship that belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi now belongs to the racists”. Vinicius quickly received support from his compatriot Neymar but also from Kylian Mbappé on Instagram. “You are not alone, wrote the star of the Blues and PSG. We are with you and we support you. »
“I am not your friend to talk about racism”
President Lula also reacted during a press conference in Hiroshima (Japan): “He was attacked, he was called a monkey. It is not possible, in the middle of the 21st century, to have such strong racial prejudices in so many football stadiums”. The only discordant voice in this wave of support for “Vini”? The president of La Liga Javier Tebas, who split a pass of arms with the interested party on Twitter, without bothering to denounce the behavior of the Valencian supporters.
Since those who should do it do not explain to you what it is and what La Liga can do in the event of racism, we have tried to explain it to you, but you did not show up on either of the two agreed dates that you yourself asked, launched Javier Tebas. Before criticizing and insulting La Liga, you need to inform yourself properly. Don’t let yourself be manipulated and make sure you understand each other’s skills, and the work we have done together. »
Vinicius replied to him in stride, in a message showing the tension that exists in Spain around these repeated episodes of racism in the stadiums: “Once again, instead of criticizing the racists, the president of La Liga appears on social media to attack me. No matter how much you talk and pretend not to read, the image of your league is shaken. Look at the replies to his posts and be amazed…Omitting him only makes you equal to the racists. I am not your friend to talk about racism. I want actions and sanctions”.
Could this obvious impasse between Vinicius and La Liga encourage the 22-year-old Brazilian to consider his future elsewhere, despite the support of Real Madrid and his contract which runs until 2027 with the Merengues? It is a possibility raised this Monday by Marca, quoting the player: “I am strong and I will go all the way against the racists, even if it is far from here”. ESPN Brazil qualifies the hypothesis of a departure this summer from Vinicius, saying that this is not the trend, despite pressure in this direction within his entourage.