Real Madrid lodge hate crime complaint after Vinicius Jr targeted with racist abuse during Valencia match
Real Madrid have lodged a hate crime complaint with Spanish prosecutors after Vinicius Junior was targeted with racist abuse during their away tie against Valencia.
Madrid’s match against Valencia was paused on Sunday night after the half-time break as the 22-year-old Brazilian pointed out supporters who were taunting him to the referee.
Vinicius, who has been racially abused from the stands several times this season, was enraged, prompting teammates and opposition players to try to calm him down at Valencia’s Mestalla ground.
The Brazilian was later sent off for violent conduct in added time of his side’s 1-0 defeat following an altercation with Valencia striker Hugo Duro – the first red card of his career.
French striker Kylian Mbappe has led the messages of support for Vinicius.
He wrote in a post wrote on Instagram: “You are not alone. We are with you and we support you.”
The 24-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star was targeted with racist abuse himself after France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final last year.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior imitates the abuse directed towards him by a fan
His message of support came after former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, an anti-racism campaigner, posted on Instagram: “(Vinicius) receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game.
“How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s***?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s*** to help him.
“People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game.
“No one deserves this yet you are allowing it.
“There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.”
Vinicius Junior gestures towards a fan after witnessing abuse
In reference to Vinicius Jr receiving a red card, Match Of The Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker tweeted: “Once again, the player being abused is the only person to be punished.”
FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino also expressed his support for Vinicius and said in a statement: “Full solidarity to Vinicius. There is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation.”
In a statement on Instagram after the match, Vinicius had referenced the previous instances of racist abuse and accused Spain’s footballing authorities of not doing enough.
“It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” he said.
“The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. I am so sorry.”
‘La Liga belongs to the racists’
Vinicius said the Spanish league, that once “belonged” to star players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, now “belongs to the racists”.
“Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists,” he added.
“And unfortunately, with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend. I agree.”
Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Vinicius of twice not turning up for meetings to discuss what can be done “in cases of racism”.
Mr Tebas wrote: “Before criticising and insulting La Liga it is necessary that you inform yourself properly Vinicius Jr.”
Vinicius hit back and said: “Once again, instead of criticising racists, the president of La Liga appears on social media to attack me.”
He added that he wants “actions and punishments” for people who make racist chants.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had earlier backed his player after the match, saying La Liga “has a problem” with racism.
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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: ‘We can’t allow racism to become part of life at a soccer stadium’
The Italian said the referee should have stopped the match due to the “unacceptable” chanting directed at Vinicius.
“It’s the entire stadium that is insulting a player with racist chants, and the match has to stop,” he added.
Mr Ancelotti also tweeted: “Today has been a sad day at Mestalla, where a group of fans have shown their worst version.
“It is time to stop talking and act forcefully. Racism cannot have a place in football or in society. NO TO RACISM ANYWHERE.”
However, Valencia director Javier Solis said Mr Ancelotti was wrong to blame the abuse on all fans.
He said: “In light of the unfortunate and completely incorrect statements by Mr Ancelotti, in which he branded all of the fans in Mestalla as racist, the club cannot tolerate this.
“We reject these complaints head-on. Possibly it is a result of a mistake in the language and he must have understood another word as being said.
“The club condemn any kind of racist insults and are working to identify the people who allegedly made a gesture or action, but calling all the Valencia CF fans racist is nonsense and the club cannot remain silent.”
Meanwhile, Luis Rubiales, the head of Spain’s national football federation the RFEF, has said the country has a problem with racism.
Kylian Mbappe was subjected to racist abuse after France lost the World Cup final
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva is among those who condemned Sunday’s treatment of Vinicius.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, he called on FIFA and La Liga to “take measures so we don’t allow racism and fascism to take over” the sport.
The president said Vinicius, widely considered one of the best young players in the world, was being “insulted in every stadium he goes to”.
Club vows investigation
La Liga has released its own statement, saying it had been “fighting against this kind of behaviour for years”.
Valencia also posted a statement on their club website, pledging it would investigate what happened and “take the most severe measures”.
“Valencia CF wishes to publicly condemn any type of insult, attack or disqualification in football,” it added.
Some 46,000 supporters were in attendance for Sunday’s match, which saw Valencia move up to 13th in the league table and Madrid remain third – 14 points behind arch-rivals and champions Barcelona.
Diego Lopez got the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute for the home side.
World
In the idyllic Cognac region of southern France, Trump’s tariffs threaten a centuries-old way of life
The impact of Trump’s tariffs is reaching deep into every economy.
We travelled into the French rural heartland, heading for Cognac – the home of French brandy.
It is only half the size of Surrey but its exports to America are worth €1bn a year and that trade is now severely threatened.
The first buds are out on the vines of Amy Pasquet’s vineyard.
An American, she has married into the industry and with her French husband owns JLP Cognac.
She knows more than most the bond brandy has formed between their two countries that goes back to the war.
Tariffs latest: Follow live updates
Ms Pasquet said: “A lot of the African-American soldiers had really loved their experience here and had brought back the cognac. And I think that stayed because this African-American community truly is a community and they want to drink like their grandfather did.”
The ties remain with rappers like Jay Z’s love for cognac.
However, Ms Pasquet adds: “There’s also this other community of people who have been drinking bourbon for a long time, love bourbon, but find the prices just outrageous today. So they want to try something different.”
Amy Pasquet owns JLP Cognac with her husband
JLP’s products were served at New York’s prestigious Met Gala.
They were preparing to launch new product lines in the US. But now that’s in doubt.
It is hard being an American in France now, Ms Pasquet says.
Her French neighbours are appalled by what US President Donald Trump is doing.
She continues: “They’re like, okay, America’s forgotten how close France and America are as far as (their) relationship is concerned. And I think that’s hurtful on both sides. I think it’s important to remember that the US is many things, and not just this one person, and there are millions of inhabitants that didn’t vote for him.”
A fresh challenge for a centuries-old tradition
Making cognac takes years, using techniques that go back centuries. In another vineyard we met Pierre Louis Giboin whose family have been doing it for more than 200 years.
In a cellar dating back to the French Revolution, barrels of oak sit under thick cobwebs, ageing the brandy.
The walls are lined with a unique black mould that thrives off the vapours of cognac.
They have seen threats come and go over those centuries, wars, weather, pestilence. But never from a country they regard as one of their oldest allies and best of customers.
Read more:
What China could do next as Trump’s tariff war
How tariffs will affect your money
Could Trump’s tariffs tip the world into recession?
Pierre Louis Giboin’s cellar dates back to the French revolution
Mr Trump’s tariffs, says Mr Giboin, now threaten a way of life.
“It’s at the end of like very good times in the Cognac region. It’s been like 10 years when everything’s been perfect, we have good harvest, we sell really easily all the stock, but now I mean it’s the end.”
Ms Pasquet and Mr Giboin are unusual.
Most cognac makers sell their produce through the drink’s four big houses, Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier.
Some have been told the amounts they can sell have been drastically reduced.
Independents though like them must find new markets if the tariff threat persists.
Confusion away from the chaos
Outside in the dappled light of a Cognac evening Mr Giboin and I toast glasses of pineau – the diluted form of cognac drunk as an aperitif.
In this idyllic corner of France, a world away from Washington, Mr Trump’s trade war on Europe simply makes no sense.
“He’s like angry against the whole world and the way he talks like that Europe the EU was made against the US to cheat on the US. It’s just crazy to think like this,” Mr Giboin says.
It’s not just what Mr Trump’s done. It’s how Europe now strikes back that concerns the French. And it’s not just in Cognac where they’re concerned
France exports more than €2bn worth of wine to America.
In the heart of the Bordeaux wine region, Sylvie Courselle’s family have been making wine since the 1940s at their Chateau Thieuley vineyard.
It’s bottling season but they can’t prepare the wine headed for America while everything is up in the air.
Showing me the unused reels of US labels for her wine she told me she was losing sleep over the uncertainty.
Later she was meeting with her American distributors.
Gerry Keogh sells Ms Courselle’s wine across the US.
He says the entire industry is reeling
Sylvie Courselle with distributers
The Chateau Thieuley vineyard in the Bordeaux wine region
“I think it’s like anything. You don’t really believe it’s happening. And even when you’re in the midst of it, it was kind of like 9/11.
“You’re like… This is actually happening. It’s unbelievable. And when you start seeing the repercussions from the stock market, et cetera, and how it’s impacting every level, it’s quite shocking.”
They know the crisis is far from over and could now escalate.
“We feel stuck in the middle of this commercial war and we don’t have the weapons to fight, I think,” Ms Courselle said.
It is, she says, very stressful.
Gerry Keogh
The histories of America and France have been intertwined for centuries through revolutions against tyranny and two wars fighting for liberty.
America used to call France its oldest ally, but under Donald Trump its now seen here as turning on France and the rest of Europe in a reckless and unjustified trade war.
It is all doing enormous harm to relations between the US and its European allies.
How Europe now decides to retaliate will help determine the extent of that damage.
World
In the idyllic Cognac region of southern France, Trump’s tariffs threaten a centuries-old way of life
The impact of Trump’s tariffs is reaching deep into every economy.
We travelled into the French rural heartland, heading for Cognac – the home of French brandy.
It is only half the size of Surrey but its exports to America are worth €1bn a year and that trade is now severely threatened.
The first buds are out on the vines of Amy Pasquet’s vineyard.
An American, she has married into the industry and with her French husband owns JLP Cognac.
She knows more than most the bond brandy has formed between their two countries that goes back to the war.
Tariffs latest: Follow live updates
Ms Pasquet said: “A lot of the African-American soldiers had really loved their experience here and had brought back the cognac. And I think that stayed because this African-American community truly is a community. and they want to drink like their grandfather did.”
The ties remain with rappers like Jay Z’s love for cognac.
However, Ms Pasquet adds: “There’s also this other community of people who have been drinking bourbon for a long time, love bourbon, but find the prices just outrageous today. So they want to try something different.”
Amy Pasquet owns JLP Cognac with her husband
JLP’s products were served at New York’s prestigious Met Gala.
They were preparing to launch new product lines in the US. But now that’s in doubt.
It is hard being an American in France now, Ms Pasquet says.
Her French neighbours are appalled by what US President Donald Trump is doing.
She continues: “They’re like, okay, America’s forgotten how close France and America are as far as (their) relationship is concerned. And I think that’s hurtful on both sides. I think it’s important to remember that the US is many things, and not just this one person, and there are millions of inhabitants that didn’t vote for him.”
A fresh challenge for a centuries-old tradition
Making cognac takes years, using techniques that go back centuries. In another vineyard we met Pierre Louis Giboin whose family have been doing it for more than 200 years.
In a cellar dating back to the French Revolution, barrels of oak sit under thick cobwebs, ageing the brandy.
The walls are lined with a unique black mould that thrives off the vapours of cognac.
They have seen threats come and go over those centuries, wars, weather, pestilence. But never from a country they regard as one of their oldest allies and best of customers.
Read more:
What China could do next as Trump’s tariff war
How tariffs will affect your money
Could Trump’s tariffs tip the world into recession?
Pierre Louis Giboin’s cellar dates back to the French revolution
Mr Trump’s tariffs, says Mr Giboin, now threaten a way of life.
“It’s at the end of like very good times in the Cognac region. It’s been like 10 years when everything’s been perfect, we have good harvest, we sell really easily all the stock, but now I mean it’s the end.”
Ms Pasquet and Mr Giboin are unusual.
Most cognac makers sell their produce through the drink’s four big houses, Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier.
Some have been told the amounts they can sell have been drastically reduced.
Independents though like them must find new markets if the tariff threat persists.
Confusion away from the chaos
Outside in the dappled light of a Cognac evening Mr Giboin and I toast glasses of pineau – the diluted form of cognac drunk as an aperitif.
In this idyllic corner of France, a world away from Washington, Mr Trump’s trade war on Europe simply makes no sense.
“He’s like angry against the whole world and the way he talks like that Europe the EU was made against the US to cheat on the US. It’s just crazy to think like this,” Mr Giboin says.
It’s not just what Mr Trump’s done. It’s how Europe now strikes back that concerns the French. And it’s not just in Cognac where they’re concerned
France exports more than €2bn worth of wine to America.
In the heart of the Bordeaux wine region, Sylvie Courselle’s family have been making wine since the 1940s at their Chateau Thieuley vineyard.
It’s bottling season but they can’t prepare the wine headed for America while everything is up in the air.
Showing me the unused reels of US labels for her wine she told me she was losing sleep over the uncertainty.
Later she was meeting with her American distributors.
Gerry Keogh sells Ms Courselle’s wine across the US.
He says the entire industry is reeling
Sylvie Courselle with distributers
The Chateau Thieuley vineyard in the Bordeaux wine region
“I think it’s like anything. You don’t really believe it’s happening. And even when you’re in the midst of it, it was kind of like 9/11.
“You’re like… This is actually happening. It’s unbelievable. And when you start seeing the repercussions from the stock market, et cetera, and how it’s impacting every level, it’s quite shocking.”
They know the crisis is far from over and could now escalate.
“We feel stuck in the middle of this commercial war and we don’t have the weapons to fight, I think,” Ms Courselle said.
It is, she says, very stressful.
Gerry Keogh
The histories of America and France have been intertwined for centuries through revolutions against tyranny and two wars fighting for liberty.
America used to call France its oldest ally, but under Mr Trump it is now being as turned on, as France, along with the rest of Europe, finds itself in what many would argue is a reckless and unjustified trade war.
It is all doing enormous harm to relations between the US and its European allies.
How Europe now decides to retaliate will help determine the extent of that damage.
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