Published 15:55 IST, May 22nd 2023
'You’re not alone': Kylian Mbappe and Neymar break silence on Vinicius Jr's racism row
Paris Saint Germain's forward came to support Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr, who has been facing racial abuse often in the 2022-2023 campaign.
Kylian Mbappe and many famous footballers have come to support the Brazillian star Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid's star was subjected to racism on Sunday during their clash agaisnt Villareal, recieving vile taunts from the stands and getting a red card after a huge clash with the players from the home side as the player was seen being chocked by the opponent. The player clapped towards the referee about the incident while heading to the dressing room.
Vinicius Jr conftronted about the incident to the officials and later went on to speak on social media about the racism that the player has been facing since he moved to Spain. Former Real Madrid and Brazil's forward Ronaldo, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have shown support to the star as the racist taunts from players and fans, including the liberal use of the n-word, continue to plague Spanish football.
Kylian Mbappe shows his support to Vinicus Jr through an Instagram story.
The Brazilian winger feels as though he has been facing a losing battle against racism alone-one has been supported by millions of fans including his countrymen and other football stars. Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe has posted on Instagram: “You’re not alone. We are with you & we support you.”
Neymar, the symbol of Brazil, echoed the same sentiments
Vinicius has not faced such incidents recenlty but the player was criticized on TV for his Brazillian 'Samba' dance that the winger usually does as a celebration to his goal, which compared him to a 'monkey'. According to the report, Atletico Madrid fans were accused of singing racists songs against him which La Liga criticised. However, according to the Brazillian star, he claims that no actions were taken by the LaLiga officals against the racists.
In a recent Instagram post the player claims: “the championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi today belongs to racists”. Vinicius, a 22-year-old Real star, retaliated against La Liga president Javier Tebas by calling him "equal to racists" after Tebas' shocking response to those allegations suggested that Vinicius was not cooperating with the appropriate authorities.
Updated 16:03 IST, May 22nd 2023