Vinicius Jr complains as advisor racially abused at friendly in Spain
Vinicius Jr expressed his dissatisfaction on Sunday regarding an incident of racism that occurred towards one of his team members by stadium security before the friendly match between Brazil and Guinea in Barcelona.
During the match, the Brazilian team wore black shirts as a form of protest against racial discrimination, following previous instances where Vinicius, who plays for Real Madrid, had been subjected to abuse by Valencia fans in May. These incidents of racial abuse towards Vinicius have caused widespread outrage globally.
“While I was playing in the already historic black shirt and getting emotional, my friend was humiliated and mocked at the entrance to the stadium,” wrote Vinicius on Twitter early Sunday.
“The treatment was sad … to make everything public, I ask those responsible: where is the security camera footage?”
According to a complaint filed by Vinicius’ friend and advisor, Felipe Silveira, a security guard at the stadium allegedly mistreated him during a search at the entrance.
The guard is accused of saying, “Put your hands up, I have a gun for you,” while pulling a banana out of his pocket. This information was published by Brazilian news website Globo Esporte.
According to the Brazilian website, Silveira and three other individuals from Vinicius’ team lodged complaints and contacted the police at the location.
Brazilian channel SporTV aired footage that revealed intense arguments between the player’s friends and staff members at the stadium. The security guard and the security company refuted the accusations, as reported by the Brazilian media.
The Brazilian football federation (CBF) stated that they promptly responded upon learning about the complaint. They requested the assistance and protection of the police and match organizers to support the victim of racism. The CBF emphasized the importance of vigorously and persistently combating this crime.
“Today, once again, another criminal has been publicly exposed,” said CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues.
Vinicius has experienced racist abuse multiple times in the past two seasons. Brazil saw the friendly match as an opportunity to retaliate, especially since it was being held in Spain.
In a bold move, Brazil decided to wear all-black uniforms instead of their traditional yellow and green jerseys for the first half of the game, as a statement against racism. The Brazilian Football Confederation supported this gesture, along with the slogan “Com racismo nao tem jogo” (With racism, there is no game).
Vinicius, wearing the number 10 shirt, scored a penalty in the 88th minute, by which time he had changed into Brazil’s usual colors. Earlier in the week, the Spanish and Brazilian football federations announced their plan for a friendly match in March 2024 at the Santiago Bernabeu, aimed at combating racism following the widespread outrage over the abuse suffered by Vinicius.
FIFA, the governing body of world football, also revealed their plans to establish an anti-racism taskforce, in which Vinicius would play a prominent role.
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