‘Spanish La Liga has a problem with racism’: Carlo Ancelotti defends Vinicius after his expulsion

He ended up unpinning. Targeted by racist insults during the game, Vinicius was expelled in added time during the meeting lost by Real Madrid in Valencia (1-0) this Sunday. The Brazilian winger punched Hugo Duro in the face as the latter hugged him with his arm around his throat for several seconds. On arrival, only the Madrilenian was sanctioned with a red card. However, he was far from alone in the fight that broke out in the Valencia area.

For months, the 22-year-old dribbler has been the subject of racist cries in many La Liga stadiums. This Sunday, the meeting even had to be temporarily stopped. During the second half, Vinicius pointed at a spectator, accusing him of insulting him. The Merengues tried to calm their star while the stadium announcer had to warn spectators that the “racist behavior of certain spectators would not be tolerated”.

Questioned by Movistar, Carlo Ancelotti supported his player after the meeting. “If we shout singe to a player and the coach has to think about removing him from the field, there is something wrong in La Liga, explained the Italian coach. The Spanish La Liga has a problem with racism. And the problem is not Vinicius. Vinicius is the victim. In case of racism, the match must be stopped. “The former PSG coach also assured that his player did not “want to continue”: “I told him that it’s not fair to me because he is the victim and not the culprit. »

Backed by Valencia captain

If according to Dani Ceballos, Vinicius “wanted to continue to help the team”, “we could see that he could do nothing more”. The problem is far from new in Spain. La Liga filed several complaints for instances of racism during the season. “It’s nothing new, in all stadiums in Spain people are continuously disrespecting Vinicius,” Ceballos confirmed to Movistar+.

“We condemn all these insults, for his part declared José Gaya, captain of Valencia. And the cameras are there, if it identifies who did this, to me they should never come back to a football stadium. “Gaya, on the other hand, did not taste the gesture made by Vinicius when he left.

The Brazilian pointed two fingers in the direction of the public to signify that the Che club were heading towards the second division. “I can understand that after these insults, he tries to express his anger in this way, explained Gaya. The insults were the work of a minority, I believe, so his actions, I also condemn them. »

In the evening, La Liga issued a press release to explain that it had requested “all the images” necessary for the investigation and to recall that it had filed nine complaints after the previous incidents.

The Valencia club also communicated: “The club publicly reaffirms its position against physical and verbal violence in the stadiums and condemns what happened during the match. However, this is an isolated episode. Insults towards any footballer of an opposing team have no place and go against the values ​​of the VCF. The club will investigate and take the most severe measures.

As for Vinicius, he published a story on Instagram where he slips these few words: “The reward that the racists have received is my expulsion! “It’s not football, it’s La Liga”.