Vinicius Jr hits out at UEFA as statement shared after alleged racist abuse | Football | Sport
The Brazilian netted what proved to be the decisive goal in the 50th minute and marked it by dancing in front of the Benfica supporters. He was then cautioned by the referee.
Following a 10-minute interval, the fixture resumed. The Spanish outfit secured the 1-0 victory to carry the advantage into next week’s second leg at the Bernabeu.
The remainder of the contest witnessed Real players being jeered and whistled at by the home crowd whenever they received possession. Missiles were also hurled at Vinicius and colleague Trent Alexander-Arnold.
After the match, Vinicius posted on Instagram. Initially, he shared an image of himself celebrating his goal with Kylian Mbappe, accompanied by a caption saying: “Santiago Bernabeu. See you there.”
He subsequently addressed the incident directly in a statement posted on his Instagram story. “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,” he wrote.
“But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why.
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“On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary”.
Benfica winger Prestianni has likewise turned to Instagram to refute the racism accusation. “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to player Vinicius Junior, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” he wrote.
“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats that I received from Real Madrid players.”
The match witnessed a member of Benfica’s coaching staff receiving a red card during the confrontation. Manager Jose Mourinho was subsequently dismissed in the final moments following an angry exchange with the referee.
