Author – Amrit Santlani
Real Madrid full-back Vinicius Junior was the victim of racial abuse from Valencia fans during their recent La Liga defeat and the Brazilian full-back has now received strong support from his country’s president, who has condemned the act and called for action to be taken against the aggressors.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the G7 summit in Japan and expressed his solidarity with Vinicius, who suffered the latest attack of racial abuse during Madrid’s match against Valencia at the Mestalla. The game had to be temporarily stopped after Vinicius pointed out one of the Valencia fans who had insulted the Brazilian winger.
“It’s not fair that a boy who has come out of poverty, who has succeeded in life, who is becoming one of the best players in the world – he’s certainly Real Madrid’s best – should be subjected to abuse in every stadium where he plays. I think it’s important that FIFA, the Spanish league and the leagues in other countries take the strongest possible measures“, said Lula.
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This was not the first incident in which Vinicius was confronted with monkey chants. The winger has been the target of racial abuse from fans on several occasions.
There was a lot of drama during the game as the 21-year-old tried to pin the blame on the Valencia players. There was a fight between Vinicius and Giorgio Mamardashvili, when Hugo Duro allegedly grabbed the Brazilian striker and the Madrid player was later sent off for hitting Duro in the face.
After the first straight red card of his career, Vinicius made an explosive comment about La Liga, condemning the lack of action by the Spanish authorities.