Real Madrid megastar calls for toughest punishment after alleged racism incident: ‘Doesn’t deserve to play in UCL’
· Yahoo Sports
New images from the Estadio da Luz have begun to reveal more details about the tense moment that overshadowed Real Madrid’s Champions League clash against Benfica.
What should have been remembered for Vinicius Jr.’s decisive goal instead turned into a serious controversy after the Brazilian reported a racist insult during the second half.
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According to the sequence of events, Vinicius immediately approached referee Francois Letexier to inform him about the alleged incident involving Benfica youngster Gianluca Prestianni.
The official reacted quickly, activating the anti-racism protocol and halting the match for several minutes as the situation was assessed.
During this tense period, several Real Madrid players surrounded the referee and the Benfica players, but one of the most vocal figures was Kylian Mbappe.
The French forward did not hesitate to defend his teammate and directly confronted Prestianni.
Images broadcast showed Mbappe repeatedly addressing the Argentine youngster, shouting, “You’re a f**king racist!”
Addressing the event
After the match, Mbappe spoke at length, making it clear that the issue went far beyond the result on the pitch.
He began by highlighting the responsibility that top players carry when it comes to fighting racism in football.
“We, the stars of world football, are trying to change all this because we know we have a big voice. We have to set an example for everyone and all the children who look up to us.
“This is the Champions League, and these are things we cannot accept. In the end, we have to say that we shouldn’t generalise.
“That’s sometimes a problem. I’ll say it, I’ve always come to Portugal, and I have friends and teammates here. They’ve always treated me very well,” he said, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
There needs to be an action
He then explained why silence is not an option in such situations, stressing that action must be taken when unacceptable behaviour occurs.
“When someone behaves like this, we have to say something. Then people booed us. My opinion is that they don’t know what happened.
“I have nothing against the fans, against Benfica, or their coach, one of the best in the world, with a great history. But something has to be done.
We can’t accept that a player who plays in the best football competition in Europe behaves like that.
Vinicius Jr. allegedly suffered a racist incident against Benfica. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“He doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League. That’s my opinion, but let’s see what happens.
“I’m not the one who makes the decisions. Let’s see, let’s leave it to UEFA, who always try to do something. Now there’s a serious case and action has to be taken,” he noted.
Leaving the field
Finally, the French forward revealed that Real Madrid even considered leaving the pitch in solidarity with Vinicius.
The decision, he explained, was entirely up to the Brazilian winger. He concluded,
“Yes, we did think about leaving the field. That’s why we left; it was the team’s decision.
“Then I saw that other players came back. We won the game, but today it’s not important; there are more important things than football.
“I asked Vinicius what he wanted to do. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do. We’ll never leave him alone,” he concluded.