Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior praised his Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal for his courage in speaking out against the racism he and other Egyptian players faced during last week’s friendly match between Egypt and Spain.
Yamal was subjected to further vile racist abuse during his team’s match against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this past weekend.
Vinicius: Yamal and I are fighting racism
Ahead of Real Madrid match against Bayern Munich, Vinicius – who has become a leading figure in the fight against racism in Spanish football – was asked about these incidents. He replied: “It’s a complex issue that happens all the time. It’s very important that Lamine speaks out about it; it helps others. I hope Lamine continues this fight as well.”
The Brazilian star added: “We have money, but poor Black people face far greater difficulties than we do. I’m not saying that Spain, Germany, or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in every country, and if we fight together, we hope that players and people in general will stop suffering from these things.”
Vinicius and the Benfica Match Crisis
Vinicius had accused Benfica player Gianluca Brestiani of directing racist chants at him during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 playoff match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
UEFA is still investigating the incident, which the Argentine player denies. Benfica’s management supports him despite the large media campaign led by Vinicius and Real Madrid stars against what happened.
In general, Vinicius has suffered greatly from racism in Spanish stadiums, and there have been some matches where he lost his temper, most notably against Valencia. Because of this, some racist fans have been imprisoned, and others have been banned from football stadiums for life.
Racist abuse in Spanish stadiums appears to be on the rise, despite the strict penalties imposed by La Liga.
While the league has become more proactive in pursuing racism cases, and prison sentences have been handed down on several occasions, this has not yet succeeded in curbing the problem.
Not Flick… The reason behind Yamal’s fury during his substitution against Atlético Madrid revealed
Yamal and the recent racist incidents against him
Following the spread of offensive chants such as “If you don’t jump, you’re a Muslim” during Spain’s goalless draw with Egypt, Lamine Yamal took to social media to describe these chants as “unacceptable” and racist.
In his first message after the incident, Yamal wrote on his official Instagram account, “I am a Muslim, thank God.”
He added, “I realize that not all fans are like that, but to those who chant such things: using religion as a tool for mockery makes you look ignorant and racist.”
Catalan police are currently investigating the incident, amid shock and concern over the widespread nature of the chants at the RCDE Stadium.
Further distressing footage emerged from Barcelona 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid on Saturday night, showing the 18-year-old being racially abused again. As he headed to take a corner kick, shouts of “Go back to Morocco” and other racist and abusive language were heard from the stands.
