A racist attack on a star in Real Madrid... and wide solidarity with him

 Statements described as racist against the Brazilian national team player and Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, sparked a wave of anger in Brazil, and major sports names expressed their indignation at these statements. A Spanish player's agent had called on Junior to stop "behaving like monkeys", angering players such as legend Pele and current star Neymar.

Pedro Bravo, president of the Federation of Football Players' Agents in Spain, made his comment last Thursday while speaking on one of Spain's most prominent sports television programmes. Bravo said the 22-year-old "should stop playing the monkey after scoring goals with his usual dance moves," according to Agence France-Presse.

Pele suspension

The comments sparked angry reactions in Brazil, where black players were subjected to racist harassment by fans who imitate monkey sounds. "Football is fun, it's a dance," said the country's soccer legend and three-time world champion Pele.

And he continued on his account on “Instagram”: “Despite the existence of racism, unfortunately, we will not allow it to stop us from continuing to smile, we will continue to fight racism every day in this way, fighting for our right to be happy and respected.” In turn, the Brazilian top scorer for Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar, tweeted: "Bella Vini Junior", which means (dance in Portuguese).

After an outpouring of support from fans and his teammates, Vinicius Jr. published a statement in his own way saying: "I have fallen victim to xenophobia and racism. These are dances to celebrate the cultural diversity of the world. Whether you accept it, respect it or lose your mind about it, I will not stop."

official solidarity

The Brazilian Football Confederation expressed its solidarity with the player in a statement, condemning the "racist statements". Real Madrid, the Spanish champion, said it rejected "all forms of racism and xenophobia and will take legal measures."

Bravo apologized on Twitter, saying he used the term "badly...in a metaphorical way". Vinicius, 22, joined Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo and became a key player in their ranks. He scored the only winning goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final last May.