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

The match between Real Madrid and Benfica, at Estádio da Luz, was marked by an accusation of racism 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 interrupted 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, imitating 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 headed to the corner flag to celebrate, he provoked protests from Benfica players and triggered confusion on the field. As a result, French referee François Letexier showed Vinícius a yellow card.

When the game was about to resume, Vinícius reacted and reported an act of racism to the referee, which led to further confusion involving players and coaching staff from both teams.

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

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

In addition to what happened on the field, former England international and Manchester United idol Rio Ferdinand criticized Benfica's Argentine player. “Come on… how are we still sitting here talking about racism when people try to justify it when someone says something racist? ‘Because it’s Vini’s fault. If Vini hadn’t done that, the boy 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.