Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr was racially abused during a match against Valencia in Spain’s La Liga, according to the club’s manager Carlo Ancelotti. The incident occurred in the second half of the match, leading to a nine-minute suspension. Vinicius Jr was later sent off for involvement in an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro. Ancelotti said the stadium was shouting “monkey, monkey” at the player, and that the VAR had invented an aggression that didn’t exist. Vinicius Jr has been the target of racial abuse multiple times this season and posted a statement on Twitter saying that racism is normal in La Liga.
La Liga issued a statement saying it would investigate the incident and take appropriate legal action if any hate crime is identified. Valencia also issued a statement condemning any type of insult, attack or disqualification in football. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tweeted his support for Vinicius Jr and called for FIFA and other entities to take steps to prevent racism from taking over football.
