Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior says La Liga belongs to ‘racists’ after more abuse in match against Valencia

Vinicius Junior was again subjected to racist abuse on Sunday and the Brazil star said the Spanish league “now belongs to the racists”. The latest abuse against Vinicius came after Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazilian forward said he was insulted by a fan behind a goal at the Mestalla Stadium.

“It was not the first time, or the second or the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it is normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it,” Vinicius said on Instagram and Twitter. The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi, now belongs to racists… But I am strong and I will fight against racists till the end. Even if it is far from here.

Vinicius, 22, who is black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the star forward after Vinicius said fans at the Mestalla chanted “monkey” towards him. He said initially Vinicius didn’t want to continue playing.

“What happened today should not have happened,” said Ancelotti. “When a stadium yells ‘monkey’ at a player, and the coach considers taking him off the field, that means something is wrong with this league.”

The veteran coach refused to talk about the game after what happened and said his team’s defeat meant nothing. “The game should have been stopped,” said Ancelotti. “This shouldn’t happen. It wasn’t just one person, as has happened in many stadiums. Here, it was a stadium racially abusing a player, the game had to be stopped. If it was 3-0 for us, I would That’s what it would have said. You have to stop the game, there was no way around it.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, today belongs to racists.”

Vinicius Jr on Instagram after today’s match. pic.twitter.com/uzmTHs9tPe— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 21, 2023

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti wanted the referee to stop the match

Ancelotti said he asked the referee to stop the match, but was told that protocol was to first make an announcement to the fans, then take other action if the problem continued. Ancelotti said that Vinicius did not want to continue playing but told the player that he was not guilty of anything and that he was a victim. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he would have left the field with Vinicius if his teammate had decided to stop playing.

“Vinicius is upset, obviously, but more than upset, he is sad,” said Ancelotti.

According to Spanish media reports, Valencia have identified two fans who allegedly insulted Vinicius behind a goal. Some comments on social media claimed that fans were saying the Spanish word “tonto” (silly) instead of “mono” (monkey).

apologize to valencia fans

Valencia later stated that it expected Ancelotti to apologize to Valencia fans for accusing him of racism, which was said to be false. The coach said in a press conference that the referee would not have started the racism protocol if he did not think there was racism in the stadium.

Vinicius was later sent-off after brawling with Valencia players, and pointed to the home fans about his team’s fight as he left the field. Valencia took a big step towards avoiding the drop with a 1-0 win and opened a five-point gap on the three teams entering the final round. “The reward for the racists was my disapproval!” “It’s not soccer, it’s LaLiga,” Vinicius said on Instagram with the Spanish league’s slogan.

Vinicius had called the referee around in the 70th minute and started pointing at a man sitting among the Valencia supporters. The player went to the stands and clashed with fans while players from both teams tried to remain calm.

Police eventually reached the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made to treat the fans. The match at the Mestalla was stopped for about seven minutes, and shortly after it resumed Vinicius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with his hand over his face. given.

After a video review ruled out his ejection, Vinicius began to appreciate the irony. As he was leaving the field, he gestured to “go down” on the relegation. Players on the Valencia bench jeered and some made accusations towards Vinicius as he walked off the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again.

Valencia coach Ruben Barraza condemned the behavior of the Valencia fans, but also criticized Vinicius, saying that he should have respected the club and its supporters. Vinicius’ teammate Dani Ceballos criticized the fans, but said he also expected Vinicius to apologize for his gesture after being sent off.