Barcelona star Raphinha booked after removing shirt to support Vinicius Jr
Barcelona forward Raphinha was booked on Tuesday night after removing his shirt to show a message of support for Vinicius Jr after the Real Madrid star was racially abused at the weekend.
Real's match against Valencia was briefly halted at the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday after Vinicius Jr, 22, was subjected to sickening racist abuse from a portion of the home crowd.
The harrowing scenes have been condemned all across Europe in recent days and several high-profile names have spoken out in support of Vinicius Jr, who was also sent off by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the final moments of the LaLiga clash, which Valencia went on to win 1-0.
But Raphinha, who plays for Los Blancos' bitter rivals Barcelona, went one further by physically showing his support for Vinicius Jr during his side's 3-1 loss at Real Valladolid on Tuesday night.
The former Leeds star, who was substituted towards the end of the match, was booked after removing his Barcelona shirt to reveal a vest with the message: “As long as the color of the skin is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war.” The back of his vest read: “We are together, Vinicius.”
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Raphinha's poignant show of support came on the same night that the Spanish Football Federation hit Valencia with a partial stadium closure as a result of the abhorrent chants that were directed at Vinicius Jr during Sunday's match.
As well as confirming that they had overturned the red card that was shown to the winger in the closing moments of the match, the Spanish authorities have ruled that Valencia's south stand will be shut for five matches and have also handed the LaLiga outfit a €45,000 (£40,000) fine.
Valencia have been hit with a fine and a partial stadium closure as a result of the abhorrent chants directed at Vinicius Jr (Getty Images)The statement from the Spanish Football Federation read: “The competition committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the First Division National League Championship match between the local team and Real Madrid CF.
“It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious.
“In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros is imposed on Valencia.”
Sanctions were imposed against Valencia shortly after Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti called for the relevant authorities to take further action.
“We have been complaining about this abuse all season and nothing!” the Italian said in reference to the previous occasions that Vinicius Jr has been abused this season. “It has reached the point where the manager must consider taking off his player because the game is not being stopped. There is something wrong with this league if this happens.”
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