Raphinha, a winger for FC Barcelona, left the field on Tuesday against Valladolid, raising his fist and taking off his shirt to show support for Vinicius Jr., who was subjected to racist insults last weekend. The former Rennes player was cautioned.
As the case of racist taunts against Vinicius Jr. shakes Spain, support continues to pour in from all quarters for the Brazilian. On Tuesday, one came from FC Barcelona, the Real Madrid’s arch rival on the pitch, and a fellow countryman of the Madrid star. Substituted in the 62nd minute of the match between Valladolid and FC Barcelona (3-1), Raphinha (26) raised his fist as he left the field. He also removed his shirt to display a message he had written in Portuguese on his undershirt in support of Vinicius Jr.
“The song says ‘Until the philosophy, which holds one race superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war.'”, he wrote on his chest, referencing the lyrics of Bob Marley’s 1976 song War, often cited by Vinicius. Raphinha had written another message of support for his compatriot on the back of his shirt: “we are with you Vini.” The former Rennes player was cautioned for this gesture (removal of shirt) prohibited by the regulations. The intention deeply touched its target since Vinicius shared Raphinha’s gesture on his social networks, thanking him.
Regularly targeted by insults and racist shouts from opposing supporters, Vinicius was again targeted by Valencia’s supporters on Sunday during a very long altercation. When he was advancing with the ball, Valencia defender Che Cömert interrupted his action with the help of a second ball thrown onto the field. This provoked the anger of the Madrid players and the Brazilian, who was then violently attacked by chants calling him a monkey. He was eventually sent off after another scuffle with local players.
Faced with the outcry, the Spanish federation (RFEF) finally decided to cancel his suspension on Tuesday evening at the end of a meeting lasting over seven hours. “Given the allegations and video evidence provided by Real Madrid regarding the expulsion of Vinicius in the 90th+5 minute,” the competition committee has decided to cancel the “disciplinary consequences” of this expulsion and to allow the Brazilian to play again on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) against Rayo Vallecano at Bernabéu for the 36th round of Liga.
Furthermore, the RFEF announced the closure for five games – spanning this season and the next – of the Mario-Kempes stand at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium. It is in this area that the authors of racist insults against Vinicius were identified. A fine of 45,000 euros was also imposed on the Valencia club.
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