"Everyone stand together loud and proud" - Rio Ferdinand defends Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr after he was racially abused
Rio Ferdinand defended Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior from what happened during Los Blancos' La Liga away clash against Valencia. The Madrid giants suffered a shock 1-0 defeat with Diego Lopez scoring the only goal of the game at the Mestalla in the 33rd minute.
However, the match was overshadowed by racism-related controversies. Vinicius was the subject of constant slurs from the home fans. The game was even paused on one instance as the Brazilian went to point out the fan who slurred against him.
The Brazilian was also sent off in the seventh minute of the injury time. Ferdinand has now defended the youngster as he posted on Instagram:
"Bro you need protecting….who is protecting @vinijr in Spain ?? He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game….wtf."
He added:
"How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this shit?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help…and the authorities don’t do sh*t to help him. People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game. No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this, otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN."
A crazy moment involving Vinicius Jr took place during Real Madrid's clash against Valencia
The racist slurs aimed at Vinicius Jr were not the only controversial things that happened during Real Madrid's defeat to Valencia. Yet another strange incident took place in the match.
With the score 1-0 in favor of their opponents, the Madrid giants were pushing hard to find the equalizer. Vinicius Jr reached the edge of Valencia's penalty box during an attack.
However, there was a second ball on the pitch and a Valencia player kicked it at the ball that was on Vinicius' feet. This robbed the Brazilian of the chance to fetch something from the attack.