Abel Ferreira on Vini Jr: recalls Palmeiras racism, says "Nothing happened" | OneFootball

What did Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras’ coach, say about the Vini Jr case?

Coach Abel Ferreira commented on yet another case of racism suffered by Vini Jr in Europe. In his statement, the Portuguese manager made it clear that he does not tolerate this kind of behavior, but he also mentioned a case involving the striker Luighi, from Palmeiras, which did not receive the same level of attention.

— I don’t like to make judgments, but I defend values: respect, human dignity, justice, education, and solidarity. However, we are living through a crisis of values in society, which is us. This is not a football problem. ‘We are all one’ is my life philosophy, where we all must respect each other, be supportive, and have empathy, he said, before continuing:

— I believe no one is happy with what happened, on either side. Unfortunately, we talk and debate a lot, but we do very little. In the past, very serious things happened and nothing was done, like in Luighi’s case – he emphasized, before concluding:

— In my opinion, we are living in the worst phase of human values. I don’t judge cases, I am a defender of values, and we as a society are heading quickly toward something unbelievable. More than talking and debating, we need to act, concluded Abel Ferreira in a press conference after Palmeiras’ victory on Saturday (21), in the Paulista Championship.

WHAT HAPPENED TO LUIGHI IN THE PALMEIRAS MATCH?

The incident mentioned by Abel Ferreira happened during the 2025 U-20 Libertadores. On that occasion, striker Luighi was the victim of racist acts during the match between Palmeiras and Cerro Porteño (PAR). In an interview after the game, the player spoke out and made harsh criticisms about the case.

WAS VINI JR A VICTIM OF RACISM ONCE AGAIN?

Yes! Vini Jr continues to be targeted in European football. This time, the Flamengo youth product accused Gianluca Prestianni, from Benfica (POR), of a racist act. Addressing the match referee, the Real Madrid (ESP) striker made a point of stating that the Portuguese team’s midfielder called him a ‘monkey’. Even so, the Argentine player was not punished at all.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH IN THE 2026 SEASON?

While Vini Jr continues his fight against racism, the Flamengo squad prepares for another important fixture this season. This Sunday (22), the Rubro-Negro faces Madureira in the first leg of the Carioca semifinal.

The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Maracanã. As usual, Coluna do Fla TV will provide detailed coverage of the match with live reporting by Rodrigo Lima and Rock Hudson on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media. Finally, SporTV (cable channel), Premiere (pay-per-view), and GETV (YouTube) will broadcast the match.

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