Corinthians sign player accused of racism towards Vini Jr | OneFootball

Flamengo's Opponent in the Supercup, Corinthians is Close to Announcing Gabriel Paulista

The Corinthians may have a 'controversial' player reinforcement for the Supercup of Brazil against Flamengo on February 1st. The São Paulo team has secured the signing of defender Gabriel Paulista, who was not getting playing time at Besiktas (TUR). The athlete recently made headlines for altercations with Vini Jr during his time at Valencia (ESP).

During a match against Real Madrid (ESP), where Vini Jr plays, Valencia fans made racist gestures and chants against Vini. Shockingly, Gabriel took to social media to praise the fans' atmosphere during the match, while the whole world condemned what happened at Mestalla Stadium in 2023. The defender later spoke out.

WHAT DID GABRIEL PAULISTA SAY ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY WITH VINI JR?

— I am not racist as many in Brazil, especially some media outlets, are saying. And those who committed this act against Vini must pay. Regarding my post, I was just celebrating a very important victory because we are going through a difficult year and I did not defend the racist act. I simply meant to say that we should not blame an entire stadium — he said.

— There were 45,000 people and a small part of the crowd committed this crime. I think we should not blame everyone. Maybe I expressed myself poorly and many did not understand, but that was it. Total respect to Vini Jr. I'm sure many are interpreting something I didn't do — he added.

WHAT WILL BE GABRIEL PAULISTA'S CONTRACT WITH CORINTHIANS?

Gabriel Paulista, 35, terminated his contract with Besiktas to return to Brazil. The athlete gave up 4.5 million euros (R$ 28.3 million) he was owed by the Turks to sign with Corinthians. The contract will be for two seasons, and the athlete will race against time to strengthen the team in the Supercup of Brazil.

At Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília, Flamengo and Corinthians will face off for the first trophy of the year. The Rubro-Negro will be seeking their fourth championship, while the São Paulo team will aim for their second. The match marks the meeting between the current winner of the Brasileirão and the champion of the Copa do Brasil of 2025.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.