Kunle Adeleye
Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain has sent a message of solidarity to Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian international was subjected to bigotry by La Liga fans.
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The event occurred during Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss to Valencia in La Liga on Sunday.
During Real Madrid’s defeat against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, Vinicius was the victim of racism and insults from fans.
He identified the group of fans who were culpable in the second half, when play was halted for a few minutes after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea alerted stadium management, who pleaded for the racist shouts to stop.
According to Scroll, the referee noted in his post-match report that a spectator yelled’monkey, monkey’ at Vinicius.
Vinicius was sent off for pushing Valencia attacker Hugo Duro in the face after a VAR check deep into stoppage time in the second half.
Only until Valencia players got in Vinicius’ face and Duro put him in a headlock did this happen. The latter was not held accountable for his acts.
However, Vinicius issued a lengthy message on Instagram following the game, stating that racism is the “norm” in La Liga.
Mbappe responded by posting an Instagram story in which he said, “You’re not alone. We stand behind you and support you.”
