Liga: Vinicius is “unfortunately used” to racism in stadiums, regrets Ancelotti

Real Madrid star striker Vinicius Junior is “unfortunately used” to racist acts in Spanish stadiums, his coach Carlo Ancelotti lamented on Saturday.

Targeted again by racist insults from an FC Barcelona supporter during the Clasico at the Monjtuic Olympic stadium last week, the Brazilian “is focused on the next match and on his work,” assured Ancelotti.

A video published by Spanish media last Saturday after the match showed a Barça fan calling the Merengue winger a “monkey” (mono, in Spanish), an insult he has received numerous times since his arrival in Spain in 2018 .

Vinicius, who has just extended his contract at Real until 2027, had already been the victim of racism the previous weekend in Seville, where an Andalusian supporter was expelled from the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium for miming a monkey in his direction.

“Sorry to sound repetitive, but this is isolated episode number 19, and it's not over,” the 23-year-old attacker wrote in a statement at the time, adding that he had also seen a child reproduce this gesture.

The Brazilian international, an unwilling leader in the fight against discrimination in Spanish football, then called on the authorities to “do their part and change the legislation” in the face of the increase in these acts.

Vinicius was heard by the courts on October 5 as part of an investigation into racist insults pronounced against him in Valencia on May 21.

He received the Socrates prize on Monday during the Ballon d'Or ceremony, rewarding his educational projects in his country and symbolizing his fight against discrimination.

“It's sad to talk about racism these days, but we must continue to fight so that people suffer less and less,” he said when receiving his prize.