"No to Florentino's machinery" - Valencia newspaper hits out at Real Madrid again after Vinicius racism row
The tale of Valencia and their opposition to accusations of racism, sparked by the abuse of Real Madrid ace Vinicius, continues unabated. That was confirmed as the city's local tabloid, Super Deporte, once more rose in defense of its team and fans.
The saga began with the Brazilian forward being verbally attacked during a La Liga game at Valencia's Mestalla stadium. The incident was, regrettably, the latest in a series of incidents where the 22-year-old found himself at the receiving end of racial abuse.
The Spanish football federation responded by partially shutting down Valencia's stadium for five games and imposing a fine of £39,000 - a decision Valencia intend to challenge, deeming it entirely unjust.
Not holding back, Real Madrid took the racism incident as an affront, categorising it as a 'hate crime', and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General's Office. However, Super Deporte, the sport-dedicated Valencia newspaper, maintains an unyielding stance.
According to Daily Mail, their narrative revolves around absolving the team's fans and the city of the label of racism. They have not hesitated to describe Vinicius as 'the spoiled child of Real Madrid.' The publication went so far as to launch a public campaign against the Spanish giants, targeting club president Florentino Perez in their protest.
LAMENTÁVEL!
Capa do jornal Super Deporte de Valência.
Ao comemorar a permanência na primeira divisão (Messallaes é o estádio do Valência), diz para Ancelotti "não mentir" e para Vinicius Junior "não provocar". https://t.co/FrcgaHkzcK
Their fiery campaign was evident in a recent front cover, featuring the word 'No' emblazoned in glaring red. The publication was direct in its messages, refusing to budge from its standpoint. Among their proclamations were 'No to Florentino's machinery', 'No to (manager Carlo) Ancelotti's lies', and 'No to the unprecedented punishment against Mestalla'.
They are unwavering, rallying against the treatment of their city and team: 'No to more grievances, no to the campaign against our city and no to the story of Madrid.' It's clear from these statements that they believe Valencia are being unjustly targeted, despite the fact that Vinicius has suffered racial abuse already this season.
Super Deporte remains consistent in its campaign against Real Madrid
The paper continued its campaign with an editorial under the headline 'Enough already,' painting the Valencia team as the 'victims' of the incident. In the article, according to Daily Mail, they voiced their sentiments that using racism to divert attention from other issues is entirely unacceptable.
Super Deporte also delivered a vehement critique of the imposed sanctions, decrying them as 'unprecedented'. They remain defiant in the face of criticism, vowing to continue defending Valencia, unafraid of any repercussions. The publication also took issue with the Real Madrid forward's behaviour, referring to him as a 'footballer who does not learn' from his experiences.
The front page of Valencia's sport paper Super Deporte.
“Enough now!"
The "Enough now!" is not about racism suffered by Vinicius Jr.
Instead are calling for Vinicius Junior to face punishment for his 'on-field disrespect'. https://t.co/cB5SjCuLYX
Further reinforcing their stance, another front page article on Wednesday protested the closure of the stadium stand.
According to Daily Mail, the headline read:
"Mestalla is not racist, and the closure of the Mario Kempes stands is unprecedented."
Finally, they also emphasised the need to eradicate the blight of racism from football and society as a whole, but that did not seem to be the newspaper's focus.