Paraguayan football icon Jose Luis Chilavert has come under fire for shockingly calling Vinicius Junior a derogatory term after the Real Madrid star relayed details of the racism he had suffered in Spain.
An emotional Vinicius Junior, 23, broke down in tears as he described his experience to the media ahead of Brazil’s clash with Spain, a friendly being played as part of the ‘One Skin’ anti-racism campaign.
The horrific abuse Vinicius Junior has suffered throughout his time in La Liga has been well documented, with ten such incidents reported against the young forward last term.
And while there has been no let up this season, the Brazil international is adamant that he will not be forced out of the league as a result of the racism problem. However, at a press conference on Monday, he admitted he had trouble ‘moving forward’ from the abuse.
‘It never crossed my mind [to leave Spain] because if I leave Spain I give the racists exactly what they want,’ Vinicius Junior told reporters ahead of this evening’s friendly at the Bernabeu.
‘I will stay because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more.
‘I’m a bold player, I play for Real Madrid and we win a lot of titles and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.
‘I just want to play football but it’s hard to move forward; I feel less and less like playing.’
La Liga has faced widespread criticism for its apparent failure to deal with instances of racism in recent years. Earlier this month, a child was allegedly filmed hurling abuse at Vinicius Junior during Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Valencia.
Meanwhile, Javier Tebas – the president of the Spanish top flight – was forced to make a grovelling apology for saying Vinicius Junior had not ‘informed himself properly’ after the forward pointed out the league’s racism issue.
Though Vinicius Junior has been flooded with messages of support after his emotional press conference on Monday, Chilavert instead blasted the Real Madrid star in a shocking post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The former Paraguay and Real Zaragoza goalkeeper said Vinicius was guilty of ‘insulting’ his rivals before bizarrely claiming that ‘football is for men’.
‘Bread and Circuses, the first one to insult and attack rivals is him,’ Chilavert wrote on Twiiter,’ Chilavert wrote.
‘Don’t be a derogatory term, football is for men.’
Legendary ex-Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, took to Instagram to show his support for Vinicius Junior, while demanding harsher punishments for those found guilty of racist abuse.
‘Is Spain a racist country??? I don’t know as I don’t live there to know or see that experience,’ Ferdinand said.
‘But I know there is RACISM in the stadiums there and it seems to be accepted by the authorities for some reason???
‘To see a young man break down in a press conference like Vinicius Junior is heartbreaking to see.
‘Listening to Javier Tebas' comments last season makes me think there should be significant changes at the top / convictions from the big organizations!’
‘I admire you bro Vinicius Junior [love heart emoji].’
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