ANKARA
Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Valencia in a Spanish La Liga week 35 match in which Valencia fans hurled racist insults at Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr.
Diego Lopez’s goal in the 33rd minute brought the victory to the hosts at Mestalla.
After the 67th minute, when Vinicius Jr. won a free kick for Real Madrid, the stands began to hurl racist taunts at the Brazilian.
The match had to be stopped for nine minutes as the insults continued.
Vinicius Jr. was initially shown a yellow card for lashing out at Hugo Duro during a scuffle.
But upon inspection by the video assistant referee (VAR), the card turned into a direct red in the 97th minute.
Real Madrid are third in the standings with 71 points, while Valencia are in 13th spot with 40 points.
Real Madrid boss slams La Liga
Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid head coach, slammed the La Liga after his player Vinicius Junior was targeted by racial slurs at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium.
During the Valencia vs. Real Madrid match, Valencia fans hurled racist chants at the Brazilian forward.
“This is unacceptable. Spanish La Liga has a (racism) problem, and it is not Vinicius. Vinicius is the victim.” Real Madrid head coach Ancelotti said in a post-match press conference.
“… The whole stadium was shouting ‘monkey, monkey, monkey’. There is not much to say. I am very sad… You can’t play football like that,” the Italian coach added.
