Real Madrid Instagram ‘error’ adds to Vinicius Junior’s frustrations over tackling racist abuse
Vinicius Junior’s frustration with Real Madrid’s reaction to the racist abuse he has suffered in Spain reached a new flashpoint over a recent social media post made by the club.
Last week, an Instagram post that was quickly deleted from Madrid’s official account featured a photo of Vinicius Jr kissing the Real Madrid badge. Underneath, there was a ‘sticker’ depicting five stages of humans’ evolution from apes. Below were the words ‘Vini Vici’ — the name of an Israeli dance music group that uses the image.
According to sources close to the player, Vinicius Jr was so angered by the post that he considered refusing to play in the team’s next fixture, a La Liga match at Valencia on Saturday, March 9.
The post was deleted around 45 minutes after its publication.
When asked to comment on the subject, Madrid sources strongly denied Vinicius Jr was angered by the situation. They said the post had been made “in error”.
However, very well informed sources close to the player insist that he was angered, and that he spoke of this with several people at Madrid, including the club’s general director Jose Angel Sanchez. They said he was extremely disappointed to see his own club make such a post on social media, and that Real Madrid told him they would take internal action.
Vinicius Jr has long felt unhappy with Madrid’s handling of the racist abuse he has suffered on so many occasions in Spain. The player believes the club should be doing more to support him. After last year’s shocking incidents of abuse at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, this feeling even led him to briefly consider leaving the club.
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As recently as this week, the player thought Madrid should have been quicker in making a public response when social media footage emerged appearing to show Atletico Madrid fans singing abusive chants about him outside the Estadio Metropolitano before their Champions League match with Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Vinicius Jr himself addressed the situation on Thursday. “I hope you have already thought about their punishment,” he tweeted, tagging both UEFA and the Champions League.
“It’s a sad reality that even happens in games in which I’m not present!”
The chanting was reported to Madrid’s prosecutors by La Liga, who said they were committed to “relentlessly pursuing any attitude of racism, homophobia, violence, hatred, whatever the competition”.
On Thursday evening, Brazil’s football association released a statement expressing solidarity with Vinicius Jr. On Friday, Madrid said they too would be reporting the alleged racist chanting by Atletico fans to prosecutors, as well as another alleged instance of abusive chanting before Barcelona’s home match with Napoli on Tuesday.
Vinicius Jr did eventually play at the March 9 fixture against Valencia at the Mestalla, scoring two goals in a 2-2 draw at the ground where he was subjected to shocking racist abuse last May.
In celebration of his first goal, he held his fist up towards the stands, recreating the iconic gesture from Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
(Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images)
