Rio Ferdinand shares video of Benfica fans’ racist gestures at Vinícius | OneFootball

The match between Real Madrid and Benfica at the Estádio da Luz was marked by a racism accusation made by Vinícius Júnior directed at Gianluca Prestianni. The incident was reported to the referee, who activated UEFA's anti-racism protocol, and the match was halted for about 10 minutes. The atmosphere in the stadium remained tense, and former defender Rio Ferdinand shared a video on social media showing Benfica fans making racist gestures, mimicking monkeys, towards the Brazilian forward.

The main episode occurred in the second half, shortly after Vinícius scored the goal that secured the 1-0 victory for the Spanish team, around the 50th minute. As he approached the corner flag to celebrate, he prompted protests from Benfica players, leading to a commotion on the field. Subsequently, French referee François Letexier showed a yellow card to Vinícius.

As the game was about to resume, Vinícius reacted and reported an act of racism to the referee, causing further confusion involving players and technical teams from both sides.

François Letexier immediately activated UEFA's anti-racism protocol and halted the match for about 10 minutes. During the stoppage, Vinícius was comforted by teammates like Mbappé and Tchouaméni, and Benfica coach José Mourinho also approached to speak with the Brazilian player.

After the incident, Benfica fans began insulting the Real Madrid forward in unison and booing him whenever he touched the ball, even throwing objects in his direction. Mbappé was also booed. The official referee's report is expected to contain a detailed description of the events.

Besides what happened on the field, former England international and Manchester United idol Rio Ferdinand criticized the Argentine from Benfica. "Come on... how are we still sitting here talking about racism when trying to justify when someone says something racist? 'Because it's Vini's fault. If Vini hadn't done that, the guy wouldn't have said that.' I don't accept it, we can't accept that," he said.

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