“This is a society issue” – Carlo Ancelotti reacts to racist abuse hurled at Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. was once again subject to racial abuse when he came off the pitch during their 2-0 La Liga win against Real Valladolid on December 30.
Fans at the Jose Zorrilla stadium aimed racial slurs at the Brazilian and the winger was visibly unhappy with the situation. He came off angrily, showing his frustration at the racist fans.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has now reacted to the incident.
The Italian coach told the media (h/t Madrid Xtra):
“I have zero tolerance for racism. This is not Vinicius’ fault, we support him. This is a society issue. It should never happen. More must be done.”
🎙| Ancelotti: “I have zero tolerance for racism. This is not Vinicius’ fault, we support him. This is a society issue. It should never happen. More must be done.”
This is not the first time Vinicius Jr. has been subject to vile racist rants on the field. Atletico Madrid fans abused the player during the Madrid derby earlier this season.
The Brazil international has been in impressive form on the field despite receiving such abuse from opposition fans. He has scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 22 games across competitions this campaign.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are currently second in the La Liga table. They are level on points with league leaders Barcelona (38) but are behind on goal difference.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti on Vinicius Jr. racism saga
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti refused to get too involved in the controversial saga involving Vinicius Jr. He said that it's a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Copa Del Rey clash against Cacereno, Ancelotti said (via Football Espana):
“I don’t have these talks, this is very clear. I’m not talking about a topic that doesn’t have to exist, racism and xenophobia. Focusing on it with Vini would be a mistake because it’s a problem of society that doesn’t have to exist. For me, there has to be zero tolerance on this issue.”
Ancelotti also gave an update on Real Madrid's squad ahead of the game. The team completed an open training session in Valdebebas. He said (via Managing Madrid)
“Courtois and Carvajal have slight issues and won’t play in this game, although they’ll be back for the Villarreal trip on the weekend. I also won’t give minutes to Kroos, Alaba, Benzema, Vinícius or Mendy, but the others are available and we’ll try to play as well as we can."
He added:
"We’ll also have Sergio Arribas, Nico Paz, Marvel and Álvaro Rodríguez from Castilla. Even beyond these four, there are many other players coming out of Castilla. Raúl is doing a good job.”
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