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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.

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Soccer Football - LaLiga - Valencia v Real Madrid - Mestalla, Valencia, Spain - May 21, 2023 Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior imitates the abuse directed towards him by a fan REUTERS/Pablo Morano TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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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.”

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Valencia v Real Madrid - Mestalla, Valencia, Spain - May 21, 2023 Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior gestures towards a fan after witnessing abuse as Valencia's Jose Gaya and Cenk Ozkacar attempt to restrain him REUTERS/Pablo Morano
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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.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their third goal to complete his hat-trick REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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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.

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as ‘safety precaution’

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Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as 'safety precaution'

Passengers have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a “precautionary measure”. 

Flights could be “temporarily impacted”, the airport said in a statement.

It did not give any details about the reason for the evacuation but said “the safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority”.

At this stage there is no suggestion the evacuation is linked to the cyber attack that has caused disruption at several European airports.

“We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates,” the airport added, saying further information would be provided as soon as it is available.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

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At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

At least 70 people have been killed after a paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and aid workers said the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack during Friday prayers in the North Darfur region.

The attack took place in the besieged city of Al Fasher and was said to have completely destroyed the mosque.

With bodies still buried under the rubble, the number of deaths is likely to rise, a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms said.

The worker spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from the RSF.

Further details of the attack were difficult to ascertain because it took place in an area where many international and charitable organisations have already pulled out because of the violence.

In a statement, Sudan’s army said it was mourning the victims of the attack.

It said: “Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world.”

Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir reported earlier this month on the situation in North Darfur, where people are facing torture, rape and forced starvation.

The Sudan war started in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in Khartoum.

The US special envoy to Sudan estimates that 150,000 people have been killed, but the exact figure is unknown. Close to 12 million people have been displaced.

Several mediation attempts have failed to secure a humanitarian access mechanism or any lulls in fighting.

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The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video on Friday claiming to show parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga al Oula street at around 5am local time, citing witnesses.

The attack is the latest in a series of heavy clashes in the past week of between the two sides in Al Fasher.

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Less camp, more conservative – welcome to Russia’s alternative Eurovision

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Less camp, more conservative - welcome to Russia's alternative Eurovision

Banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will hold a rival international song contest on Saturday, with an emphasis on “traditional values”.

Instead of camp, think conservative – patriotic pop with a PG-rating.

“Intervision” was launched under the order of Vladimir Putin, with the hope it would serve as an expression of Moscow’s international pulling power.

Intervision decorations in  Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest
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Intervision decorations in Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest

There are contestants from 23 countries, which are a mixture of Russia’s allies old and new, including Belarus, Cuba and Tajikistan as well as China, India and Saudi Arabia.

The odd one out is the United States, who’ll be represented by an artist called “Vassy”. She’s not part of an official delegation, but an American voice is still a coup for the Kremlin, which will seek to use this contest as proof of the West’s failure to isolate Russia on the global stage.

‘War whitewash’

Intervision is not entirely new. It was originally launched in the 1960s as an instrument of Soviet soft power, before largely fading from view in the 1980s.

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According to Moscow, its revival has nothing to do with politics. But Ukraine has condemned it as propaganda, and an attempt to whitewash Russia’s war.

It was a point I put to some contestants after their final press conferences, but it didn’t go down well.

“We don’t think like that, we are here to spread peace,” India’s Rauhan Malik told me, when I asked if his participation was a show of support for Russia’s invasion.

Malik, one of the contestants
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Malik, one of the contestants

“Are you not turning a blind eye to Russia’s aggression?” I countered.

“I have no idea about it,” he said. “I have no idea about the current situation that’s happening. I don’t want to speak about that as well.”

Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP
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Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP

Really? He had no idea? But before I could go on, I felt a forceful hand on my shoulder and a minder stepped in.

The intervention was even quicker when it came to speaking to Brazil’s act. As soon as I mentioned the word Ukraine, I was drowned out by shouts of “no, no, no, no” and the duo were ushered away.

Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader
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Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader

Where’s the glitter?

Intervision is not just a reaction to Russia’s recent exclusion from Eurosivion, however, it’s also a reaction to the contest’s values and what it’s come to represent.

Its celebration of sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights are seen as a symbol of what the Kremlin calls the West’s moral decline. In contrast, Intervision organisers say their contest will promote “traditional, family values.”

Judging by the costumes on show ahead of last week’s draw, that translates to less glitter, more embroidery, with a thematic emphasis on national heritage.

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So what do Russians think of Intervision’s resurrection? Can it replace Eurovision?

“We don’t miss Eurovision,” Galina and Tatiana say, underneath a collection of purple and pink ‘Intervision’ flags near Red Square.

“It was so horrible, especially lately. We didn’t like watching it at all.”

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Why are countries boycotting Eurovision?

Polina agrees, believing Russia’s version will be “more interesting”.

“Many countries that participated in Eurovision want to boycott it, so it’s interesting to see a more peaceful event now,” she says.

Igor is more circumspect. “I’d like to believe that this isn’t a political event,” he says, “but rather an event that unites nations and people.”

Intervision will succeed in uniting some nations. But at the same time, it may only deepen divisions with others – further evidence that Russia and the West are singing very different tunes.

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