La Liga leaders and 14-time European champions Real Madrid have filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor after racist chants were aimed at Vinicius Jr by Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans. The complaint was filed by Real on Friday (Mar 15) and released a public statement on their social media handles to highlight the severity of the matter. Vinicius Jr has been a victim of racist chants before and this is not the first time the Brazilian is facing such abuse from rival fans.
Real Madrid complaint with Official State Prosecutor
“Real Madrid CF has filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor over hate and discrimination offences relating to the racist and hateful abuse aimed at our player Vinicius Junior in the areas surrounding the Montjuic Olympic Stadium and the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, ahead of the FC Barcelona-Napoli and Atletico de Madrid-Inter Milan Champions League fixtures.
“Real Madrid calls on Prosecutors to request the recordings available from both locations from the security forces in order to identify the perpetrators of the abuse. Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate against our player Vinicius Junior, which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time,” a detailed statement from Real Madrid read.
“Our club will continue working hard to uphold the values of football and sport as a whole, and will remain steadfast in the fight for a zero-tolerance approach to the types of despicable incidents we have seen on multiple occasions in recent times,” the statement added.
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Unsettling recordings of fans hurling racist epithets on social media before Atletico’s Champions League match, including calling Vinicius Jr. a “chimpanzee,” have surfaced. Such cries were heard during the Copa del Rey round-of-16 derby between Atletico and Real Madrid, demonstrating the enduring nature of the problem. This shows that the disgusting behavior was not limited to a single event.
In addition, it has been reported that some Barcelona supporters were also involved in the racist outburst. Prior to their team’s Champions League match against Napoli, they reportedly screamed “VinĂcius, die” outside the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companies.
Real Madrid’s fight for silverware
The matter is now subject to further hearing as Real carry the fight off the field to safeguard the interest of their player. On the field, the Spanish giants will have to flex their muscles to land a double of La Liga and the Champions League. Currently, seven points clear of second-placed Girona, Real need a strong finish to pocket the league title.
On the flip side, the Champions League knockout stage will be the most challenging prospect for the Los Blancos. They will face defending champions Manchester City in the quarterfinal, which is the third consecutive season where the two teams will go head-to-head. If they go through they will meet either Arsenal or Bayern Munich for a place in the final of the competition in May.
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