MADRID: Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse yet again on Sunday with the Brazil star saying the Spanish league “now belongs to racists.”
The latest abuse against Vinícius came in Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium.
“It wasn’t the first time, or the second or the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it’s normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it,” Vinícius said on Instagram and Twitter. “The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi now belongs to racists ... But I’m strong and I will fight until the end against the racists. Even if far from here.”
The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the star forward after Vinícius said fans at Mestalla chanted “monkey” toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn’t want to continue playing.
“What happened today shouldn’t happen,” Ancelotti said. “When a stadium yells ‘monkey’ to a player, and the coach considers taking him out of the field because of that, it means that there is something bad in this league.”
The veteran coach refused to talk about the game after what happened, saying his team’s loss meant nothing.
“The game should have been stopped,” Ancelotti said. “This shouldn’t happen. It wasn’t only one person, as it has happened in several stadiums. Here, it was a stadium racially insulting a player, the game had to stop. I would have said the same thing if it was 3-0 for us. You have to stop the game, there was no way around it.”
Ancelotti said he asked the referee to stop the match, but was told that the protocol was to first make an announcement to fans, then take other action if the problem continued.
Ancelotti said Vinícius didn’t want to keep playing but he told the player that he wasn’t guilty of anything and that he was the victim. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he would have left the field with Vinicius if his teammate had decided to stop playing.
“Vinícius is upset, obviously, but more than upset, he is sad,” Ancelotti said.
According to Spanish media reports, Valencia has identified two fans who allegedly insulted Vinícius behind one of the goals.
Some comments on social media claimed fans were saying the Spanish word “tonto” (silly) instead of “mono” (monkey).
Valencia later said it expected Ancelotti to apologize to Valencia fans for accusing them of racism after misunderstanding what was said. The coach told a news conference that the referee wouldn’t have started the racism protocol if he didn’t think there was racism in the stadium.
Vinícius was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team’s fight against relegation as he left the field. Valencia took a huge step toward avoiding the drop with the 1-0 victory opening a five-point gap to the bottom three teams entering the final three rounds.
“The reward for the racists was my ejection!” Vinícius said on Instagram, along with the Spanish league’s slogan “It’s not soccer, it’s LaLiga.”
Vinícius had called the referee around the 70th minute and started pointing to a person sitting among the Valencia supporters. The player went near the stands and confronted the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm.
Police eventually arrived in the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made asking fans to behave.
The match at Mestalla was stopped for about seven minutes, and not long after it resumed Vinícius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face.
After the decision of his ejection was made following a video review, Vinícius started applauding ironically. As he was leaving the field, he made a “going down” gesture over relegation. That upset players on the Valencia bench and some charged toward Vinícius as he left the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again.
Valencia coach Rubén Baraja condemned the behavior of Valencia fans but also criticized Vinícius, saying he should have respected the club and its supporters.
Vinícius’ teammate Dani Ceballos criticized the fans but said he also expected Vinícius to apologize for his gestures after being sent off.
Ancelotti said Vinícius’ reaction was normal considering what he had gone through moments earlier.
The Spanish league said it has requested images from the game to investigate what happened. It will also probe possible insults against Vinícius outside Mestalla, when a large group of fans also allegedly called the player a monkey as the Madrid bus arrived.
League president Javier Tebas criticized Vinícius for attacking the league without fully understanding what it has done recently to combat racism, and saying the player didn’t show up for talks on the subject that he had requested himself.
The league has made nine formal complaints over racist abuse against Vinícius over the last two seasons, with many of the cases being shelved. A Mallorca fan may end up going on trial after allegedly racially insulting the Brazilian during a game.
The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional soccer is expected to happen at some point this year in a case involving Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.
Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse
https://arab.news/gv5wx
Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse
- The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago
Man Utd draw in Spain in Europa League last 16 as Spurs beaten
- “I felt until the penalty we had control of the game and then I think the penalty changed a little bit the momentum,” Amorim told TNT Sports
- Rangers recorded an impressive 3-1 win away to a Fenerbahce team coached by Jose Mourinho
PARIS: Manchester United drew 1-1 away to Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, while Tottenham suffered a 1-0 loss away to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
Joshua Zirkzee drilled in from just outside the area to give United the lead on 57 minutes in San Sebastian but Mikel Oyarzabal levelled from the spot after Bruno Fernandes was punished for a handball.
Zirkzee cut a distraught figure after missing the decisive penalty in last week’s FA Cup shootout loss to Fulham and has endured a testing first season at United, whose only remaining hope of silverware is in the Europa League.
He scored for the first time in Europe this term, unleashing a sharp low drive from 20 yards after being teed up by Alejandro Garnacho’s inviting pass.
But Ruben Amorim’s side could not hold on to their advantage as Fernandes handled at a corner, with Oyarzabal confidently converting his spot-kick.
Andre Onana made two excellent saves to keep United level as Real Sociedad pressed for a winner, leaving the tie evenly poised ahead of next week’s second leg.
“I felt until the penalty we had control of the game and then I think the penalty changed a little bit the momentum,” Amorim told TNT Sports.
“I felt our team in the last 30 minutes were really, really tired,” he added.
“We take this stage to Old Trafford... it’s going to be a different game, the pressure is going to be on us in that stadium and we have to be ready.”
Lucas Bergvall’s first-half own goal condemned Spurs to defeat in the Netherlands, and it could have been worse for Ange Postecoglou’s side were it not for two fine saves from Guglielmo Vicario.
Rangers recorded an impressive 3-1 win away to a Fenerbahce team coached by Jose Mourinho.
Cyriel Dessers put Rangers ahead early on in Istanbul before Alexander Djiku hauled Fenerbahce level.
Vaclav Cerny restored the lead for the Scots before striking again nine minutes from time to place Rangers in firm control under interim boss Barry Ferguson.
Lyon also took a big stride toward the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory at Romanians FCSB.
Paulo Fonseca fought back tears as his players celebrated Nicolas Tagliafico’s opener with him, a day after the Portuguese coach was banned from the dugout until November by French football officials after an angry altercation with a referee.
Malick Fofana won the game for Lyon with two late goals after Alexandru Baluta had equalized for FCSB.
Roma host Athletic Bilbao later on Thursday, while Ajax are at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Lazio travel to Viktoria Plzen for the first leg of their tie.
Prosecutors demand Rubiales forced kiss trial be re-run
- They said judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto "unduly" prevented the prosecutor in the trial, Marta Durantez, from posing certain questions
- The judge "made no mention in the sentence" of key evidence brought up during the trial
MADRID: Prosecutors on Thursday requested that the trial of Spain's ex-football federation chief Luis Rubiales for his forced kiss on Jenni Hermoso be annulled and re-run, notably questioning the judge's impartiality.
Spain's top criminal court last month found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for the kiss and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,670), sparing him jail in a sentence considered lenient by feminist groups.
The sentence fell well short of the demands of prosecutors, who had sought a total of two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, one year for sexual assault and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso to downplay the kiss.
Hermoso is appealing the sentence, which also cleared Rubiales and three other defendants of coercion, including former women's team coach Jorge Vilda and two senior ex-federation officials.
The prosecutors said in a statement that they were appealing the sentence and requested the trial be declared null and void and "held again by another judge not tainted, to say the least, by an appearance of bias".
They said judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto "unduly" prevented the prosecutor in the trial, Marta Durantez, from posing certain questions and cited the "arbitrariness" of his sentence.
The statement added that the judge "made no mention in the sentence" of key evidence brought up during the trial, "as if such evidence had not existed".
Fernandez-Prieto attracted attention during the trial for his brusque attitude, frequently interrupting and scolding participants.
Rubiales was also banned from going within a 200-metre radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for a period of one year. He denied the charges and is also appealing the ruling.
It was not immediately clear when the courts would decide on the various appeals.
The former federation chief sparked worldwide uproar when he kissed Hermoso on the lips as she went up to receive her winner's medal after Spain beat England in the 2023 Women's World Cup final in Sydney.
The backlash unleashed by the kiss forced Rubiales to relinquish his post in disgrace that year, saw him banned from all football-related activity for three years and plunged the federation into a prolonged period of turmoil.
The trial captivated Spain and made Hermoso, the all-time top scorer of the national women's team, an icon of the fight against sexism and macho culture in sport.
Hermoso said after the verdict that the trial would "create an important precedent in a social environment where there is still much to be done".
2026 World Cup final to have Super Bowl-style show: Infantino
- Infantino: This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world
- The move mirrors the show held during the final of last year’s Copa America in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium
PARIS: The 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey will make history by having a Super Bowl-style half-time show, world football chief Gianni Infantino said Wednesday.
Coldplay band members Chris Martin and Phil Harvey will determine the artists who will perform, FIFA president Infantino said.
“I can confirm the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York/New Jersey,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.
“This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.”
Infantino revealed the decision following a meeting of FIFA’s commercial and media partners in Dallas ahead of the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.
No further information about specific details or duration of the half-time show were revealed by Infantino.
The move mirrors the show held during the final of last year’s Copa America in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Infantino added that FIFA also planned to “take over” New York’s Times Square on the final weekend of the tournament.
Slot hails ‘lucky’ Liverpool after Elliott goal sinks PSG
PARIS: Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted his team had been extremely fortunate in their 1-0 win away to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday as he heaped praise on goal-scoring hero Harvey Elliott.
“If we had a draw over here we would have already been the lucky one. That is clear for everyone,” Slot accepted after his side withstood a pummelling from the hosts in Paris.
PSG dominated the first leg of the heavyweight last-16 tie, but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was in inspired form and the visitors snatched an unlikely victory to take back to Anfield for the return as substitute Elliott scored in the 87th minute.
“They were the much better team today, especially in the first half,” Slot said of PSG, who had a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia goal disallowed for a tight offside in the 20th minute and had 28 attempts in total.
“They had three or four open chances in the first half, and it was almost a miracle that it was 0-0 then.
“But we were already in the game three, four or five times, I felt like we could hurt them in transitions, but we didn’t, but we waited until the last moment and then we hurt them.”
Elliott, 21, was sent on for Mohamed Salah late on after the Egyptian had failed to make any impact on proceedings. He then scored with his first touch after being set up by Darwin Nunez.
“It was a big moment for him. I can understand that he is sometimes frustrated about the playing time he gets,” Slot said of Elliott, who has nevertheless now scored in three straight Champions League games.
“He has to do it with limited playing time but he just keeps on going. I have to give him big compliments for that.
“It wasn’t only Harvey but also the one who assisted him, Darwin Nunez, who came from a difficult two games, but was absolutely there again tonight because from the moment he came on we were more of a threat than before.”
Before Elliott’s remarkable strike, Liverpool looked set to finish a game without scoring for just the fourth time all season after they were pushed back by their opponents all evening.
“We were not under-par, it was purely the quality of Paris Saint-Germain and the way they have played this whole season,” the Liverpool coach added.
“Luis Enrique made an incredible team here. It was an unbelievable challenge for us to get away with a result and we know it will be a hard one in a week.”
Slot’s opposite number admitted the result was a sore one to take as PSG’s run of 10 straight wins in all competitions was brought to a halt.
“We were far superior to Liverpool in terms of how we played, and chances created,” Luis Enrique said.
“Against the best team in their league and in Europe, we put in a complete performance, defended well, took risks, and clearly deserved another result, but that is football.
“It is often unfair and we just have to accept it.”
Asked if he still believed his team could reach the quarter-finals going into next Tuesday’s return leg, he added: “Without any doubt. We are a team with absolutely nothing to lose.
“Today we deserved much more. Their best player was the goalkeeper, which indicates how the game went.”
Raphinha earns 10-man Barca tight first leg win at Benfica
- Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday
LISBON: Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless.
Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favorable.
Hansi Flick insisted before the game there was no such thing as an “easy” tie and the coach was proven right on a tense evening in the Portuguese capital.
Wojciech Szczesny made a smart save to deny Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu after just a few seconds, and the opening stages were played in a way that indicated both sides were picking up where they left off in Barcelona’s 5-4 group stage win in Lisbon a few weeks ago.
Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide at the other end as Barca threatened, before Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin produced a stunning triple save to keep the score level.
The Ukrainian first parried Dani Olmo’s prodded effort, then made a brilliant reaction stop to thwart Robert Lewandowski converting from point-blank range and mopped up Lamine Yamal’s attempt from the rebound.
Barcelona were dealt a blow when 18-year-old center-back Pau Cubarsi was sent off after 22 minutes.
The Spaniard scythed down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick in the group match, as he ran through on goal.
Szczesny saved Orkun Kokcu’s drive from the free-kick, with Flick sacrificing Olmo for defender Ronald Araujo to steady the ship.
The Polish goalkeeper, brought out of retirement by Barcelona after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury in September, also made a fine reaction save to keep out Akturkoglu’s header before the break.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Flick’s Barca gave as good as they got at the Estadio da Luz.
After another good Szczesny intervention to stop Pavlidis kept Benfica at bay before Raphinha broke the deadlock.
On the right flank after Flick replaced Yamal early in the second half with Ferran Torres, Raphinha stole in to win the ball back high up and wallop a low, deflected effort home from distance.
It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, with the forward in the form of his career.
Barcelona defended frantically in the final stages as Benfica sought to level.
The hosts thought they had won a penalty when Szczesny felled Andrea Belotti, but there was an offside in the build-up and Barcelona survived with their lead intact.
