Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said, on Tuesday, that he expects Brazilian Vinicius Junior to stay with the Spanish club, despite the fact that he was subjected to racist chants during several matches in the domestic league.
Ancelotti added in a press conference: I don’t think he will leave Spain, because he loves football and loves Real Madrid. His love for the club is very great and he wants to spend his career here.
Ancelotti said Vinicius was “very sad” but also received a huge boost from the “unconditional support he received and even from his rivals.”
Ancelotti added: He is a victim of what is happening. Sometimes people blame him for being a provocateur and for his behavior.
The Italian coach confirmed that the abuse began as soon as the team bus arrived at the stadium, which denies any talk of Vinicius trying to provoke the fans.
And the police arrested seven people earlier on Tuesday, on charges of various hate crimes against Vinicius and making racist chants against the Brazilian player during the match against Valencia in the league at the Mestalla stadium last Sunday.
The arrests come one day after Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Federation, said that Spanish football suffers from racism, and following the tenth complaint from Real that Vinicius was subjected to racist abuse in the country this season.
Ancelotti called on the authorities to take more effective action against racism and hate in football, and said the regulations in force were a thing of the past.
He added: I want action. So far nothing has happened. There are, for example, some countries where you don’t get abused, like England, where the problem was solved a long time ago, when it was decided to exclude England from European competitions for five years.
And Ancelotti added that he would consider taking his team off the field next time if Vinicius or any of his players were subjected to racist abuse.
