Madrid’s game against Valencia was interrupted on Sunday night after the half-time break as the 22-year-old Brazilian pointed at supporters who jeered at the referee.
Vinicius, who has been racially abused by the stands several times this season, was furious, prompting team-mates and opposition players to try to calm him down at the Mestalla pitch in Valencia.
The Brazilian was later sent off for violent conduct in stoppage time of his side’s 1-0 defeat after an altercation with Valencia striker Hugo Duro – the first red card of his career.
French striker Kylian Mbappe has led the messages of support for Vinicius.
He wrote in an Instagram post: “You are not alone. We are with you and we support you.”
The 24-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star was himself the target of racist abuse afterwards France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final last year.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior mimics an insult hurled at him by a fan
His message of support came after former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, an anti-racism campaigner, posted on Instagram: “(Vinicius) received a red card after being choked and subjected to racist abuse during the match.
“How many times do we have to see this young man subjected to this s***?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities aren’t doing a s*** to help him.
“People need to come together and demand more from the authorities who run our game.
“No one deserves this, but you allow it.
“There needs to be a unified approach to this or it will be swept under the rug AGAIN.”
Vinicius Jr. gestures to a fan after witnessing violence
Following Vinicius Jr’s red card, Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker tweeted: “Once again the abused player is the only person who should be punished.”
FIFAGianni Infantino’s president also expressed his support for Vinicius and said in a statement: “Full solidarity with Vinicius. There is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands behind all players who find themselves in such a situation.”
In a statement on Instagram after the match, Vinicius referred to previous incidents of racist abuse and accused the Spanish football authorities of not doing enough.
“It wasn’t the first time, not the second, not the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” he said.
“The competition considers it normal, the federation and opponents also encourage it. Very sorry.”
“La Liga belongs to racists”
Vinicius said the Spanish league, which once “belonged” to stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, now “belongs to the racists”.
“I’m sorry for the Spaniards who disagree, but today in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists,” he added.
“And unfortunately, with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to protect myself. I agree.”
Não foi a primeira vez, nem a segunda e nem a terceira. O racismo é o normal na La Liga. A competição acha normal, a Federação também e os adversários incentivam. Lamento muito. O campeonato que já foi de Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano e Messi hoje é dos racistas. Uma nação…
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) May 21, 2023
Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas accused Vinicius of twice failing to attend meetings to discuss what could be done “in cases of racism”.
Mr Tebas wrote: “Before criticizing and insulting La Liga, it is necessary to properly inform Vinicius Jr.”
Vinicius hit back and said: “Once again, instead of criticizing racists, the president of La Liga is taking to social media to attack me.”
He added that he wanted “action and punishment” for people who make racist chants.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti earlier backed his player after the game, saying La Liga “has a problem” with racism.
The Italian said the referee should have stopped the match because of the “unacceptable” chants directed at Vinicius.
“It is the whole stadium that insults a player with racist chants and the match should be stopped,” he added.
Mr Ancelotti also tweeted: “Today was a sad day at Mestalla where a group of fans showed their worst.
“It is time to stop talking and act decisively. Racism has no place in football or in society. NO TO RACISM EVERYWHERE.’
Hoy ha sido un día triste en Mestalla, donde un grupo de aficionados ha mostrado su peor versión. Es hora de dejar de hablar y actuar con contundencia. El racismo no puede tener cabida ni en el fútbol ni en la sociedad. NO AL RACISMO EN NINGÚN SITIO. pic.twitter.com/4eZO8uSYQA
— Carlo Ancelotti (@MrAncelotti) May 21, 2023
However, Valencia director Javier Solis said Mr Ancelotti was wrong to blame all fans for the violence.
He said: “In light of Mr Ancelotti’s deplorable and completely incorrect remarks in which he referred to all Mestalla fans as racists, the club cannot tolerate this.
“We reject these complaints head on. It is possible that this was the result of a language error and he must have understood another word as being said.
“The club condemns any type of racist abuse and is working to identify the people who allegedly made the gesture or action, but calling all Valencia fans racist is nonsense and the club cannot remain silent.”
Meanwhile, Luis Rubiales, head of Spain’s national football federation RFEF, said the country has a problem with racism.
Kylian Mbappe was racially abused after France lost the World Cup final
Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, is among those who condemned Sunday’s treatment of Vinicius.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, he called on FIFA and La Liga to “take action so we don’t let racism and fascism take over” the sport.
The president said Vinicius, considered one of the best young players in the world, was “insulted in every stadium he went to”.
The club promises an investigation
La Liga released its own statement saying it had “been fighting against this type of behavior for years”.
Valencia also released a statement on their club website, promising to investigate the incident and “take the strictest measures”.
“Valencia wants to publicly condemn any kind of insult, attack or disqualification in football,” he added.
Around 46,000 supporters attended Sunday’s game, which saw Valencia climb to 13th in the league table and Madrid remain third, 14 points behind arch-rivals and champions Barcelona.
Diego Lopez scored the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute for the hosts.
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