The Brazilian Football Confederation sent an urgent message to the European and international federations, UEFA and FIFA, stressing the need to “identify and punish” anyone found guilty of directing racist statements at Vinicius Junior.
In detail, Real Madrid’s Spanish striker, Vinicius Junior, mentioned to referee François Letxer that he was subjected to racist abuse after scoring a goal in the first leg against Benfica of Portugal in the Champions League qualifying round last Tuesday. The Royal Club later pointed to Argentine winger Gianluca Pristiani, a Benfica player, as the source of the complaint.
For his part, Pristiani denied, via his Instagram account, any racist behavior, while his club described what was happening as a “slander campaign” against him.
The match referee implemented anti-racism protocols, which required stopping play for 10 minutes, while UEFA launched an investigation into the incident.
The Brazilian Federation, headed by Samir Zod, is increasing pressure on the European and global governing bodies, with the aim of punishing those involved in abusing Vinicius.
A statement issued by the Brazilian Football Confederation, reported by the British news agency PA Media, stated: “The Brazilian Football Confederation called on its international and European counterparts to take strict measures to punish those involved in the new racism case committed against Vinicius Junior.”
The Brazilian Federation stressed that it expects FIFA to follow up on the case, and for UEFA to take all necessary measures to uncover the identity of the perpetrators of racist insults and punish them.
The Brazilian Football Confederation expressed its thanks to FIFA for its president, Gianni Infantino, showing a public gesture of solidarity.
The Brazilian Federation also sent an official request to UEFA to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the events that targeted Vinicius, taking into account the testimony of the victim and witnesses, “to identify and punish those involved in the incident in a deterrent manner.”
Reports indicate that the UEFA investigation, led by an ethics and discipline investigator, could take up to three weeks. This means that Vinicius and Pristiani may meet again in the return match at the Santiago Bernabéu next Wednesday, as the issue remains unresolved.
