Vini Jr speaks out after racist abuse in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica | OneFootball

Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in the Champions League play-off first leg on Thursday 17, a match marred by racist abuse directed at Vinícius Júnior. The forward later addressed the incident on social media.

The player said in a post that racists are cowards who hide behind shirts and are protected by those who should punish them. He added that he was shown a yellow card for celebrating his goal and did not understand why, and criticised what he called a poorly executed protocol that achieved nothing. He wrote that he would rather headlines focused on Real Madrid’s win, but felt speaking out was necessary.

After his dance celebration, Benfica players confronted him.

During the exchange, the Argentine, Prestianni, covered his mouth and used the Spanish word mono, meaning monkey, towards the Brazilian, who reported it to the referee. He left the pitch briefly and received support, notably from Mbappé. The referee did not punish the offender and the game resumed around ten minutes later.

The 1-0 aggregate gives Real Madrid the cushion of a draw on 25 of this month to reach the Champions League last 16. The return is at the Santiago Bernabéu in Spain.

Meanwhile, Flamengo face Lanús in the Recopa Sudamericana first leg on Thursday 19 in Argentina, with kick-off at 21:30 Brasília time.

Source: Coluna Do Fla