"Racists continue to go to stadiums and see the best club in the world play up close, and La Liga continues to do nothing", launched Vinicius Junior in a story on his Instagram account last December.
Victim of monkey cries and racist insults since the start of the season, the twirling winger of the Casa Blanca has once again been targeted.
Last September, at the Wanda Metropolitano, Atlético fans were already sending racist chants to Vinicius, but this time the level of hatred towards the Brazilian has gone up a notch.
On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, on a bridge near the Real Madrid training camp, next to a banner bearing the inscription "Madrid hates Real", hung a mannequin dressed in the jersey of number 20 merengue.
⚪ A puppet of Vinícius appears hanging from a bridge
🪧 It is accompanied by a sign saying "Madrid hates Real Madrid"#CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/rMWSEUIXEx
– Foot in Spain (@FootEnEspagne) January 26, 2023
Even before the incident happened, during the press conference on Wednesday, Carlo Ancelotti, well aware of the history between his player and the Rojiblanco public, declared “We have to protect him.
Football needs him.
He has an extraordinary talent and we have to protect him both physically and mentally”.
This Thursday, Real Madrid denounces via a press release a "lamentable and repugnant act of racism, xenophobia and hatred" against its player and condemns these attacks "which have nothing to do with the values that football and sport represent. and who "have no place in a society like ours".
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has also issued a statement through which it "strongly condemns the acts of hatred against Vinicius Jr" and La Liga, for its part, specifies that "As on previous occasions, # LaLiga will urge the investigation of the facts in order to convict those responsible, asking for the most severe criminal penalties,” via a statement.
Condenamos enérgicamente los acts de odio contra @vinijr.
La intolerancia y la violence no caben en el fútbol.
As in previous occasions, #LaLiga exemplified the investigation of los hechos in the busca of the condena of los responsible, solicitando las sanciones penales más severas.
— LaLiga Corporativo (@LaLigaCorp) January 26, 2023
The Spanish media also denounced this "racist attack" and described it as a "serious threat" against the Brazilian, while the police announced that they had opened the investigation without providing more details.
Atlético, for its part, considered that "such acts are absolutely repugnant and unacceptable and embarrassing for society".
The club adds that "the rivalry between the two clubs is strong but also mutual respect".
For its part, the Brazilian Federation (CBF) "hopes that those responsible will be identified and punished" and expressed its disgust "at the racist acts which Vinicius is once again confronted with".
“Intolerance and discrimination have no place in sport and must be eradicated from society,” writes the CBF.
