Real Madrid file complaint after latest racist insults towards Vinicius Jr

Madrid (AFP): Spanish club Real Madrid announced Friday that it had filed a complaint regarding the racist insults made against Vinicius Jr before Atletico Madrid and Barcelona’s midweek Champions League matches.

“Real Madrid C. F. has filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor over hate and discrimination offences pertaining to the racist and hateful abuse aimed at our player Vinicius Junior,” said the club in an official announcement.

“Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate… which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time.”

The complaint comes in the wake of videos on social media showing racist chants aimed at Vinicius Jr by Atletico Madrid fans outside the Metropolitano Stadium before Wednesday’s Champions League match against Inter Milan.

On Thursday, the 23-year-old called on the Champions League and European football’s governing body UEFA to take action against the supporters.

“It’s a sad reality that happens even during matches where I am not present,” Vinicius added in the message posted on X.

Real Madrid allege that similar abuse could also be heard “in the areas surrounding the Montjuic Olympic Stadium” ahead of Barcelona’s home Champions League tie with Napoli on Tuesday.

The club said that it had requested security footage from the two locations be assessed in order to identify the perpetrators.

Vinicius Jr has faced racial abuse since he joined Real in 2018, with the latest incident coming shortly after a different video appeared to show a fan making racist insults towards Vinicius during a match against Valencia on March 3.