Vinicius Jr. was once again the point of difference as he helped his team, Real Madrid, salvage a crucial point once again. Los Blancos managed to carve out a draw against Valencia, though there was some controversy at the end regarding a canceled goal.
Racism has been an issue in La Liga for many years, and Vinicius knows this better than anyone in Spain. He has been the victim of numerous insults during his time in Madrid so far and has been active in battling them as well.
Racist remarks directed at Vinicius Jr. during Valencia game
And Vinicius Jr. was again subject to new racist remarks, this time from a child. The winger scored the brace in yesterday’s match, which helped Real Madrid overcome a goal deficit from Valencia. The final score was 2-2, though the visiting Madrid side had a goal overturned in the last second due to the whistle being blown early.
However, it is after the game that some new controversy arose. Thanks to a video that has gone viral on social media, a child can be seen making a comment on Vinicius during the game. He said the word ‘monkey’ which is used as a form of racist discrimination against black or brown people. The person recording the video was then confronted by the child’s mother.
ESPN had access to a video in which a child calls Vinicius Júnior a "m*nkey". The adults try to prevent the recording, made by a Brazilian woman in the Mestalla stands.
— LBW (@losblancoswrld) March 3, 2024
Anna Anjos, author of the video, reported that she saw several racial insults against Vini.
(@gustavohofman) pic.twitter.com/div2Wl0PqC
Later, the Brazilian person who recorded it reported the incident to the authorities, though the exact timing of the incident is unknown. She also reported that there were several other cases of the racist chant. La Liga has now opened an investigation into the racism incident, and the police have been involved as well.
Neither the player nor the player has commented on the incident yet, and it remains to be seen what the investigation brings up.
Vinicius Jr. suffered racist attack last season at the same venue
However, it is not the first time Vinicius Jr. was racially abused at this same Mestalla stadium. Just last season, he was the subject of widespread racist chants from many Valencia fans in a game that also saw him sent off. That event prompted widespread backlash for Spain and it’s soccer structures, as well as much support for the player.
📌 The Laliga Committee won't be sanctioning Vinicius for the red card he picked up vs Valencia & will play Madrid's next match.
— Football Fans Tribe 🇳🇬 ⚽ (@FansTribeHQ) May 23, 2023
🏟️ Valencia has been sanctioned by the Spanish Federation with a partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for 5️⃣matches & fined $48,000 pic.twitter.com/PUgAudQbkv
Later, Valencia was punished by the league with a big fine and a partial stadium closure. Meanwhile, the league is trying its best to curtail any such events in the future, while Vinicius Jr. himself has been at the forefront of actions against them.
It remains to be seen whether the investigation bores any fruit, and we wish all the strength to the player at this time.
