Prominent names in Brazilian football, such as Pelé and Neymar, expressed their outrage at the racist statements made by a Spanish player agent against the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid champion, Vinicius Junior, in which he asked him to stop ” behave like monkeys “.
Pedro Bravo, president of the Federation of Soccer Players’ Agents in Spain, made his remarks on Thursday during “Chirengeto Show”, one of Spain’s top sports television programs, saying the 22-year-old should stop playing the role of a monkey. after scoring goals with his usual dance steps.
Bravo is back and apologized for his comments, but that didn’t stop the Brazilian Confederation and Real Madrid from defending Vinicius.
Neymar wrote on Instagram: “Dodge, dance, be yourself! happy as you are. You have to do it, my son, we will dance in the next goal. “
Veteran Brazil defender Thiago Silva has asked his compatriot to continue dancing. “Don’t let anyone take your joy away from you,” he wrote.
Real Madrid released a statement in support of Vinicius.
Official announcement.#Real Madrid
– Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) September 16, 2022
“Real Madrid want to express their affection and support for Vinicius Junior, a player who sees football as a way of life through joy, respect and sportsmanship,” said the champions of Spain and Europe.
“Football is the most universal sport and it should be a model of values and coexistence,” he added.
And Brazilian legend Pele has expressed his support for the Real Madrid player.
“Football is fun, it’s a real dance and a party,” he wrote on Twitter. Although racism still exists, we will not allow it to stop us from continuing to smile. We will continue to fight racism in this way: to fight for our right to happiness ”.
Football is joy. It’s a dance. It is a real party. Although racism still exists, we will not allow that to stop us from continuing to smile. And we will continue to fight racism in this way: by fighting for our right to happiness. #BailaViniJr pic.twitter.com/yCJxJEAn4a
– Pele (@ Pele) September 16, 2022
The Brazilian Football Confederation expressed its solidarity with the player in a statement, condemning the “racist statements”.
Vinicius, 22, joined Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo and became a key player in their ranks, scoring the only winning goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final last May.
Vinicius Junior was known for his distinctive dancing after scoring goals.
Keep on dancing, @vinijr! 🕺🤍#BailaViniJr
– MadridistaTV (@madridistatvYT) September 16, 2022
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