{"id":23461,"date":"2026-02-18T09:35:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/18\/vinicius-jr-brand-issues-strong-statement-following-racism-allegations-calling-rivals-cowardly-and-weak\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:35:34","slug":"vinicius-jr-brand-issues-strong-statement-following-racism-allegations-calling-rivals-cowardly-and-weak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/18\/vinicius-jr-brand-issues-strong-statement-following-racism-allegations-calling-rivals-cowardly-and-weak\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinicius Jr. brand issues strong statement following racism allegations, calling rivals ‘cowardly and weak’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Champions League play-off match between Benfica and Real Madrid was temporarily suspended after Vinicius Junior was allegedly subjected to racial abuse, triggering UEFA’s racism rules.<\/h2>\n
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06:58, February 18, 2026<\/span>Updated February 18, 2026 07:22<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Vinicius Junior reports racist incident during Real Madrid vs. Benfica (Image: Gualter Fatia\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. has issued a statement accusing the protocols put in place after he was allegedly subjected to racist abuse to have been “poorly enforced”. Real Madrid’s Champions League game against Benfica has been suspended in accordance with UEFA regulations following the accusations made by the winger.<\/p>\n
The Brazilian scored what would become the winning goal of the match in the 50th minute and celebrated by dancing in front of Benfica supporters. He was then cautioned by the referee.<\/p>\n
Vinicius Jr. reported allegations of racism after an exchange with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani, who was seen holding his shirt over his mouth. Due to UEFA regulations, the match was called off and the Real Madrid forward was forced to sit on the bench.<\/p>\n
read more: Trent Alexander-Arnold denounces racist abuse allegations against Vinicius Jr. ‘Shameful’<\/span><\/span>read more: Mark Clattenburg’s comments on Vinicius Jr.’s alleged racist abuse spark massive backlash<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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After a 10-minute break, the match resumed. The Spanish side won 1-0, giving them the advantage for next week’s second leg at the Bernab\u00e9u.<\/p>\n
For the rest of the game, Real players were jeered and booed by the home fans every time they touched the ball. Missiles were also fired at Vinicius and teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.<\/p>\n
After the match, Vinicius posted on Instagram: He started by posting a photo of himself celebrating a goal with Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, with the caption: “Santiago Bernab\u00e9u. See you there.”<\/p>\n
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He then specifically mentioned the incident in a statement on his Instagram Story. “Racists are cowards above all else. They need to stick their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
“But they have the protection of others who, in theory, are obliged to punish them. What happened today is nothing new in my life or in the life of my team. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t know why.”<\/p>\n
“On the other hand, it didn’t help anything and was just a poorly executed protocol. I don’t like appearing in situations like this. It’s necessary, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid.”<\/p>\n
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Vinicius Junior was at the center of the shocking incident against Benfica (Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Benfica winger Prestiani also denied allegations of racism on Instagram. “Let me be clear: I never directly directed any racist insults at Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
“I have never been racist towards anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”<\/p>\n
Benfica’s backroom staff were shown a red card for the incident in this match. Manager Jose Mourinho was shown a red in the final minutes after being verbally abused by the referee.<\/p>\n
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![\"Gianluca](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36739604.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_SL-Benfica-v-Real-Madrid-CF-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-League-Knockout-Play-off-First-Leg.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Vinicius](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36738792.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2261672410.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"content](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33404045.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/)
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