Many Brazilian football personalities have backed the Real Madrid striker after an agent’s comments on Spanish television.
Pelé, Neymar and many other Brazilian personalities expressed their indignation on Friday after remarks considered racist against Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr during a Spanish television program. On Thursday night’s Chiringuito Show, players’ agent Pedro Bravo said the 22-year-old Brazilian should stop “monkeyduring his goal celebrations.
Remarks considered racist by many personalities in the world of football who supported this player who celebrates his goals by dancing with his teammates. In stadiums, many black players have faced racism from fans mimicking monkey cries.
Vinicius Jr thanked the messages of support in a video posted to his Twitter account, saying that “the happiness of a black, Brazilian, winner in Europe“, disturbs. “I was the victim of xenophobia and racism in a single statement (…) These are dances to celebrate the cultural diversity of the world. Whether you accept it, respect it or lose your mind, I won’t stop“, he said facing the camera.
«Even if racism still exists, it won’t stop us from continuing to smile“, had assured a little earlier on the same social network Pelé, living legend of Brazilian football. “We will continue to fight racism in our own way: by fighting for our right to be happy“, Continued the triple world champion.
“Dance, Vini”, calls Neymar
«BAILA VINI JR(Dance, Vini Jr), wrote Paris Saint-Germain star striker Neymar, inspired by the hashtag #BailaViniJr, which topped trends on Twitter in Brazil on Friday. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) issued a statement saying “solidarity“with Vinicius Jr, victim of”racist statements».
In Spain, Real Madrid, the club where the Brazilian has been playing since 2018, expressed its “rejection of any type of racist and xenophobic expression» and says he mobilized his legal department to «take legal action” required. Faced with this wave of indignation, Pedro Bravo apologized on Twitter, and explained that, for him, “”doing the monkey” is an expression misused to metaphorically qualify (do nonsense) the dances of celebrationsof the player.