Vini slams protocol after racism claim in Champions League | OneFootball

This Tuesday, after the accusation of racism that marked the match between Real Madrid and Benfica at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, during the Champions League playoffs, Vinícius Júnior spoke out in a post on social media. The Brazilian condemned the alleged discrimination from the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni and criticized the handling of the anti-racism protocol by the match referee.

“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their faces with their shirts to show how weak they are. But they have, on their side, the protection of others who, in theory, have the obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family’s,” began the Real Madrid striker.

Vini Jr. also questioned the punishment he received for celebrating his goal and criticized the handling of the protocol. “I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal, still not understanding why. On the other side, just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.”

  See this photo on Instagram   A post shared by Vinicius Jr. ⚡️🇧🇷 (@vinijr)

The Brazilian also said that he does not like to be at the center of situations like this, especially after a victory, but emphasized that he considers it necessary to take a stand.

The accusation

The match between Benfica and Real Madrid this Tuesday was interrupted for about ten minutes after Vinícius Júnior accused the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni of racism, shortly after scoring a stunning goal that gave Real the win at the start of the second half.

The confusion began right after the Brazilian's celebration, when he received a yellow card and was booed by the crowd. When the match resumed, Vini and Tchouaméni reported the offense to referee François Letexier, who activated the anti-racism protocol.

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