Real Madrid star makes stance clear after Valencia threaten legal action for recent comments
Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo Goes has cleared his stance after Valencia threatened legal action against him for his comments in a recent press conference. Rodrygo is currently on international duty with Brazil.
His teammate for club and country, Vinicius Junior, was heckled by fans with racist slurs during the La Liga clash at the Mestalla, which Los Blancos lost 1-0. However, it was the incident involving racism that stole the focus.
Rodrygo recently said that he saw the entire Mestalla shouting 'Mono' against Vinicius. However, Valencia issued a statement against Rodrygo's comments. The Real Madrid player, who will wear No. 11 in the 2023-24 season, has since released a statement on Twitter clearing his stance:
He said (as translated from Spanish)
"My utmost respect to the fans and to Valencia CF. Just as in the same press conference I indicated that Spain is not a racist country, I wanted to refer only to those people in the stadium who behaved badly towards Vini, at no time to the entire stadium."
Mi máximo respeto a la afición y al Valencia C.F. Así como en la misma conferencia de prensa indiqué que España no es un país racista, me quise referir sólo a aquellas personas del estadio que tuvieron un mal comportamiento con Vini, en ningún momento a toda la afición.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He added:
"I understand football as a sport where play, joy, respect, sportsmanship prevail, an example of values, friendship, camaraderie and peaceful coexistence. I am here with my National Team to fight against racism. It is time to end racism. With this scourge It is not enough to condemn. You have to act. No to racism."
What did Valencia say about Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo's comments?
Valencia issued a statement that they were unhappy about Rodrygo generalising the entire Mestalla crowd. The club have already identified three people for racist slurs aimed at Vinicius.
However, Rodrygo's statement was not taken too kindly by the Mestalla club. They asked the Real Madrid player to retract his comments or legal actions would be taken. The club's statement read (via GOAL):
"Valencia CF categorically reject the false statements made by the player Rodrygo Goes, in which he said that the entirety of Mestalla participated in racist chants towards his teammate. Such statements are serious lies that contribute to stigmatising an exemplary fanbase in a completely unfair way."
The statement read:
"Just like his coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who corrected his statements after the game, we ask Rodrygo Goes to also correct these false statements. Valencia CF reserve the right to take the appropriate legal measures to defend the honour of our club and fans."
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior has been the subject of racist attacks since his arrival in Spain. However, the situation reached a peak when Madrid faced off against Valencia earlier in the season. The repurcussions are still ongoing.