Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has praised Barcelona player Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in a recent match, saying players need to stick together in the fight against discrimination.
Vinicius spoke on Monday, less than a week after Yamal criticised the chants by Spanish fans in Spain’s friendly against Egypt last Tuesday. Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants were disrespectful and intolerable.
Vinicius, a Brazil international, has often been subjected to racist taunts while playing in Europe and is vocal about the fight against racism. He said “it’s always complicated” to talk about the subject but “these things happen a lot.
“Hopefully we can continue with this fight,” he said.
“It’s important that Lamine speaks about it. It could help others. We are famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor people and the Black people who are everywhere, they surely struggle more than we do. So we have to stick together, those who have a stronger voice, the players…”
Vinicius accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a monkey after the Brazil forward celebrated in front of the home fans when he scored for Madrid in a Champions League match last month in Lisbon. Benfica fans insulted Vinicius from the stands.
“I’m not saying that Spain or Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, and in Brazil and other countries as well,” Vinicius said. “But if we keep fighting together, I think future players and people in general won’t have to go through this again.”
Vinicius spoke on the eve of the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal between Madrid and Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
Last week, Yamal, who is Muslim, slammed the “intolerable” chants at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of La Liga club Espanyol.
“[The chanting] was aimed at the opposing team and was not something personal against me, but as a Muslim it is still a lack of respect and something intolerable,” Yamal wrote on Instagram.
“To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist.”
Yamal, whose father moved from Morocco to Spain, came down hard on the fans.
“I know I was playing for the rival team and it wasn’t something personal against me but as a Muslim person it doesn’t stop being disrespectful and something intolerable.
“I am a Muslim. Yesterday at the stadium the chant ‘the one who doesn’t jump is the Muslim’ was heard.”
DW Russian 
