Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior gestures and leaves the pitch after being shown a red card during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valencia and Real Madrid, at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse in a Spanish league game yet again on Sunday with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti saying he considered replacing the Brazil forward.
Valencia fans appeared to chant “monkey” at the star after Madrid's game at Mestalla Stadium had been temporarily stopped. Vinícius had said a fan insulted him from the stands, and Ancelotti said Vinícius initially didn't want to continue playing.
Vinícius is Black and has been subjected to racist abuse since he came to play in Spain five years ago.
Vinícius was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team’s fight against relegation as he left the field. Valencia took a huge step toward avoiding the drop with the 1-0 victory opening a five-point gap to the bottom three teams entering the final three rounds.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Vinícius had called to the referee around the 70th minute and started pointing to a person sitting among the Valencia supporters behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium. He went near the stands and confronted the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm.
Police eventually arrived in the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made asking fans to behave.
Ancelotti talked to Vinícius near the sidelines and he continued playing.
The match at Mestalla was stopped for nearly 10 minutes, and not long after it resumed Vinícius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face.
After the decision of his ejection was made following a video review, Vinícius started applauding ironically. As he was leaving the field, he made a “going down” gesture over relegation. That upset players on the Valencia bench and some charged toward Vinícius as he left the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again.
