The Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that FC Porto has joined the case of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior by Benfica player Gianluca Brestiani, considering it damaging to the reputation of Portuguese football.
UEFA had already announced an official investigation into the matter, with FIFA closely monitoring the situation. The Portuguese government has also expressed significant concern about the incident, aiming to combat racism in football stadiums. Now, it appears that Portuguese clubs are also getting involved.
According to the latest report, Porto has officially contacted the Portuguese League and the Portuguese Football Federation to pursue the case and adopt a policy of “zero tolerance” for racist behavior, emphasizing the need for preventative measures to avoid a recurrence of such incidents in Portuguese stadiums.
Porto didn’t stop there. The Dragons’ giants demanded that Portuguese clubs, through the league, adopt a unified and decisive stance. They argued that remaining silent about such incidents is unacceptable and will ultimately have a negative impact on sporting values. They stressed the need for everyone to unite against racism.
Porto also called on the Portuguese Football Federation to provide all possible support to UEFA in its investigation to uncover the full truth.
It’s worth noting that Benfica strongly defends Prestini, maintaining his version of events: he did not utter any racist insults towards Vinicius, and the Real Madrid star made the claim either due to a lack of understanding of Spanish or simply to stir controversy.
