Rio Ferdinand has launched an impassioned defense of Real Madrid manager Vinicius Junior after he was allegedly racially abused during Jose Mourinho’s game against Benfica.
Rio Ferdinand furious over Vinicius Jr.’s racism allegations (Image: @rioferdy5/Instagram)
Rio Ferdinand has passionately defended Vinicius Junior after Jose Mourinho suggested the player was partly to blame for the racist abuse that took place during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica. The match was suspended for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported that he had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani.
Prestiani has since denied the allegations and claimed the Real Madrid star had “misunderstood” his comments. The incident happened after Vinicius put Real ahead and celebrated by dancing by the corner flag in front of the home supporters, some of whom threw objects at him.
After the match, Mourinho said Vinicius had played a role in “inciting” the crowd and said he should not have celebrated in that way. His comments have been slammed by a number of pundits including Wayne Rooney, Clarence Seedorf and Jamie Carragher, but now Ferdinand has added his voice to the debate.
In a video posted to Instagram, Ferdinand began by airing the opinions he had heard. “It’s Vini Jr.’s fault. He shouldn’t be celebrating like that. He brought it on himself. I can’t believe he’s celebrating like that, he shouldn’t be doing that. That’s why he gets treated like this. That’s why people say things about him, that’s why people don’t like him…come on, come on.”
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read more: Jose Mourinho slams Vinicius Junior for defending Benfica over racism allegationsread more: Jose Mourinho accuses Vinicius Jr. of trying to ‘justify’ racism with his comments
“Why are we still sitting here talking about racism? So when someone says something racist, why do we sit here and try to justify it because, ‘Oh, it’s Vini’s fault, if he hadn’t done that, that kid wouldn’t have said this.’ No, I don’t accept that. We can’t accept this. Football is called a beautiful game because it is a beautiful game. But this kind of crap sets it back a lot, and the authorities have to be tough on these things.
“We’ve said it and have said it all this time, but I don’t understand how someone would try to justify bad behavior, ignorance and utter stupidity just because someone scores an incredible goal, a brilliant goal and he celebrates. Celebrating that is part of the game. If the authorities start saying this can’t be done, he’ll get a yellow card…He’s reserved for celebrating!”
“How many times have I been happy to see someone put on a shirt and say, “Look, this is me, I’m the man.” Why do I know and love Nigeria? It was joy, it was laughter, it was an unforgettable moment. It was unbelievable.
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Vinicius Junior is celebrated with the corner flag after scoring (Image: Pedro Loureiro/Getty Images)
Ferdinand added in the caption: “Thank you Mbappe and Trent for supporting your teammates!” Both Real stars spoke out in support of Vinicius, who posted his own statement on social media.
It read: “Racists are cowards above all else. They need to pull their shirts over their mouths to prove how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, in theory, are obligated to punish them.
“What happened here is nothing new in my life or in the life of my family. I got a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t know why. On the other hand, it didn’t help anything, it was just a poor procedure. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, especially when the headlines have to be about Real Madrid after a big win, but it’s necessary.”
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