VINICIUS JUNIOR has released a statement after claiming that he was racially abused during Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Benfica.
scored the decisive goal with an absolute stunner in the 50th minute against ‘s side, celebrating at the corner flag in front of the home fans.
Vinicius Junior has released a statement after claiming he faced racist abuse against BenficaCredit: Getty
Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni could be seen covering his mouth while saying something to the wingerCredit: Alamy
Vinicius released a statement to his Instagram account
Things seemed to have calmed down after a brief, tense exchange between Vinicius and a number of stars over his choice of celebration.
But things quickly flared up again as the winger found himself in a heated argument with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, which culminated with the Argentine winger covering his mouth with his shirt and saying something to Vinicius.
It is not known what was said by the 20-year-old, but the man was immediately incensed, before going to referee Francois Letexier in nature.
The allegation led to the implementation of ‘s anti-racism protocol, which involved a nearly ten-minute suspension of the game.
The Spanish giants , and now Vinicius has released a statement on the matter to his story.
He wrote: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are.
“But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life.
“I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.
Vinicius claimed to referee Francois Letexier that Prestianni’s comments were racist in natureCredit: Amazon Prime
Vinicius headed off the pitch after the game was suspendedCredit: Amazon Prime
He ended up sitting in the dugout as the situation unfoldedCredit: Amazon Prime
“I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about , but it’s necessary.”
Vinicius headed to the dugout and had a seat during the game’s suspension, and appeared visibly affected by the comments made towards him.
His team-mate gave the winger his support after the game, and slammed the incident as a ‘disgrace.’
He told Amazon Prime: “I think what has happened tonight is a disgrace to and overshadowed the performance as well after an amazing goal.
“Vini has been subject to this a few times throughout his career. To ruin a night like this for our team is a disgrace. No place for it in football or society. It is disgusting.”
Prestianni has since released a statement on Instagram, denying that he made any racist comments and summing up the incident as a misunderstanding.
He wrote: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.
“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Benfica boss Mourinho, who was for a foul on Richard Rios in the 85th minute, also commented on the issue.
He refused to take a side in terms of the allegations, but as “disrespectful”.
He said: “It should be the top, the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal.
Jose Mourinho appeared to comfort Vinicius on his way off the pitchCredit: Amazon Prime
Mourinho pointed at the Brazilian’s celebrations after scoring a stunner to win the gameCredit: Getty
“For me, he was not just happy to score an amazing goal and then the game was over.
“When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.
“The words that they say Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don’t want to say I believe Prestianni, I don’t want to believe Vinicius because they say two different things.
“When he asked about racism, I said the biggest person in the history of this club was black [Eusebio], so this club, the last thing it will ever be was racist.
“There is something wrong as it happens in every stadium where Vinicius plays, always something happens.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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