22 October 2023 , 10:04
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Vinicius Junior has urged the Spanish authorities to act against racism after being targeted for the '19th time' on Saturday evening.
The Brazil international was racially abused by a child during Real Madrid's game against Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The La Liga clash finished 1-1 after Dani Carvajal's equaliser cancelled out Sevilla's opener - an own goal by David Alaba.
Vinicius played 88 minutes of the game. Video footage and photos show the Real Madrid winger being racially abused by several Sevilla supporters, including a child. Sevilla ejected a fan from the stadium and condemned "all racist and xenophobic behaviour".
Vinicius has thanked Sevilla for acting swiftly but acknowledges that more needs to be done to end racism. "Congratulations to Sevilla for their quick action and for punishing yet another sad episode for Spanish football," wrote Vinicius on Instagram.
"Unfortunately, I was shown a video of another racist act at Saturday's match, this time by a child. I'm very sorry that there was no one to educate them. I invest, and I invest a lot, in education in Brazil to form citizens with attitudes different from these.
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"The face of today's racist is plastered all over the websites, as it has been on several other occasions. I hope the Spanish authorities do their part and change the law once and for all. These people have to be punished criminally too."
Vinicius is urging Spanish football to win their battle against racism before the country hosts the men's World Cup in 2030. Spain will co-host the tournament with Morocco and Portugal. Matches will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The appalling incident happened at Sevilla's ground (Getty Images)Vinicius added: "It would be a great first step to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. I'm on hand to help. Sorry to sound repetitive, but this is isolated episode number 19. And counting."
Atletico Madrid, Real Valladolid, Mallorca, Barcelona and Valencia fans have all been filmed racially abusing Vinicius since last September. An effigy of the player was hung from a bridge near Real Madrid's training ground ahead in January 2023.
Sevilla released their statement on Saturday evening. It read: "Sevilla FC would like to communicate that, after detecting xenophobic and racist behaviour, a member of the public was identified, ejected from the stadium and handed over to legal authorities.
"The individual will also be subject to the club’s vigorous internal disciplinary protocols and have their membership revoked. Sevilla FC condemns all racist and xenophobic behaviour and will work closely with the authorities to ensure that action is taken accordingly. This behaviour does not belong at Sevilla FC."