Prominent names in Brazilian football, such as Pele and Neymar, expressed their indignation at the racist statements of a Spanish players’ agent that targeted the star of the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, in which he demanded that he stop “behaving like monkeys”.
Pedro Bravo, president of the Federation of Football Players’ Agents in Spain, made his comment Thursday during “Chirengeto Show”, one of the most prominent sports television programs in Spain, saying that the 22-year-old should stop playing the role of a monkey following scoring goals with his usual dance moves.
Bravo returned and apologized for his comments, but that did not prevent the Brazilian Confederation and Real Madrid from defending Vinicius.
Neymar wrote on Instagram: “Dodge, dance, be yourself! happy as you are. You have to do it, my son, we will dance in the next goal.”
Veteran Brazil defender Thiago Silva asked his compatriot to continue his dance. “Don’t let anyone take away your joy,” he wrote.
Real Madrid issued a statement in support of Vinicius.
Official announcement.#RealMadrid
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) September 16, 2022
“Real Madrid would like to express its affection and support for Vinicius Junior, a player who considers football as a way of life through joy, respect and sportsmanship,” said the Spanish and European champions.
“Football is the most universal sport and it should be a model of values and coexistence,” he added.
And Brazilian legend Pele expressed his support for the Real Madrid player.
“Football is fun, it’s a real dance and party,” he wrote on Twitter. Although racism still exists, we will not allow it to stop us from continuing to smile. We will continue to fight racism in this way: to fight for our right to happiness.”
Football is joy. It’s a dance. It’s a real party. Although racism still exists, we will not allow that to stop us from continuing to smile. And we will continue to fight racism this way: fighting for our right to be happy. #BailaViniJr pic.twitter.com/yCJxJEAn4a
— Pele (@Pele) September 16, 2022
The Brazilian Football Confederation expressed its solidarity with the player in a statement, condemning the “racist statements”.
Vinicius, 22, joined Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo and became a key player in its ranks. He scored the only winning goal once morest Liverpool in the Champions League final last May.
Vinicius Junior was known for his distinctive dances following scoring goals.
Keep dancing, @vinijr! ????????#BailaViniJr
– MadridistaTV (@madridistatvYT) September 16, 2022
