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'We are all Vinicius': Real Madrid players wear No 20 jersey in solidarity

All players take to pitch wearing shirts bearing Vinicius Jr's number 20 in a show of support after the Brazilian forward was subjected to racial abuse during last weekend's game against Valencia.

AFP

A huge banner in the stands behind the goal read: "We are all Vinicius, enough is enough." / Photo: AFP

Real Madrid players have shown their support for their teammate Vinicius Jr after the Brazilian star forward was targeted with racist abuse last weekend.

Ahead of a Spanish La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, all Real Madrid players appeared in Vinicius Jr's No. 20 shirt in a show of solidarity.

Vinicius Jr appeared on the pitch in a casual outfit to thank everyone who supports him.

Both Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano players also held a red banner that said "Racists, out of football," as part of a campaign launched by the Spanish football body RFEF on Tuesday.

In the 20th minute of the match, the fans applauded Vinicius Jr to show their solidarity.

A huge banner in the stands behind the goal read, "We are all Vinicius, enough is enough." Real Madrid won the match 2-1, with Karim Benzema and Rodrygo Goes the scorers.

AFP

A banner reading "We all are Vinicius. Enough [of racism]" referring to Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 24, 2023.

The racist incident

A Real Madrid forward since 2018, Vinicius Jr, 22, was targeted with racial slurs during a La Liga match at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium.

A group of fans were clearly heard calling Vinicius a "monkey," a racist trope used to insult Black people.

Clubs and players posted solidarity messages to the Brazilian football player.

Valencia also "strongly condemned" the racist act against Vinicius, pledging action against the suspects at Mestalla and opening a disciplinary case.

Meanwhile, Mestalla Stadium will be partially closed for the next five matches, said the RFEF.

Valencia was also fined $48,525.

Spanish police arrested three young people in Valencia for allegedly committing hate crimes against the Real Madrid star.

Many Brazilian players have faced hate and racist slurs in Spain over the past few years, including Vinicius Jr, Neymar Jr, and Daniel Alves.

Racism still affects foreign players, mainly African and Arab players, in other European countries like France, England and Italy.

In 2022, French players from African descent, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kingsley Coman and Randal Kolo Muani, have faced online abuse after losing the World Cup final to Argentina.

In 2019, in a game against Liverpool in the Premier League, Chelsea fans chanted "Salah is a bomber", referring to their former player with the typical terrorist-Arab slur right before he scored a screamer in their net in the same game.