Real Madrid Star Calls For Punishment After He’s Subjected to MORE Racist Chants
Another disgusting video of Atlético Madrid fans engaging in racist behavior toward Vinícius Júnior emerged Wednesday, with the star forward calling for punishment for those recorded singing “Vinícius chimpanzee” in Spanish.
Vinícius has repeatedly been the subject of racial abuse in Spain, particularly from fans of Atlético, his cross-town rivals, who infamously hung an effigy of him from a highway last year.
Bizarrely, the latest incident occurred at a game where Real Madrid and Vinícius weren’t even featuring, with the chants occurring outside the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid before Atlético beat Inter Milan on Wednesday in the UEFA Champion’s League.
“It’s a sad reality that happens even in games where I’m not present!” Vinícius posted to X on Thursday.
Espero que vocês já tenham pensado na punição deles. @ChampionsLeague 👍🏿 @UEFA 👍🏿 é uma triste realidade que passa até nos jogos que eu não estou presente! https://t.co/IDHAkG9H6S
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) March 14, 2024
LaLiga, the governing body for Atlético and Real Madrid’s domestic league, said Thursday it was opening a probe into the matter. It added it was reporting the “deplorable racists chants” to the Spanish prosecutors’ office that specializes in hate and discrimination crimes.
“LaLiga is very committed to ensuring that football is a space free of hate and will continue to relentlessly pursue any attitude of racism, homophobia, violence and hatred,” it said in a statement.
Vinícius, a 23-year-old Brazilian player, said he wants punishment for those involved, tagging the Champions League’s account on X and writing, “I hope you have already thought about their punishment.”
While Vinícius didn’t address them himself, there were also reports of hateful chants about him before a match between Barcelona and Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.
🚨⚽️ Cánticos de "¡Vinicius, muérete!" por parte de un reducido grupo a las afueras de Montjuic en la previa del Barça - Nápoles de la #UCL pic.twitter.com/hzhEryww1h
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) March 12, 2024
The Spanish radio station Cadena SER published a clip from the match, where Barcelona fans are heard yelling “Die, Vinícius.”
Those chants have become the norm for the star forward in Spain, even after playing there for more than six years. In 2022, Atlético fans chanted “Vinícius, you are a monkey” outside their stadium—something that ended with no punishment for fans after Spanish prosecutors said it was impossible to identify perpetrators.
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