Vinicius Junior has revealed that Spain is known as a country of racists after abusive chants were directed towards him in the game against Valencia.
The Brazil international was targeted by chants from sections of the crowd at the Mestalla stadium on Sunday, as Real Madrid were trailing 1-0 to Valencia.
Vinicius was subjected to discriminatory comments and actions from the stands, with the Brazilian attempting to identifying those responsible to the referee's attention.
The game was eventually paused in the second half for 10 minutes as the visibly angry 22-year-old grabbed the referee and pointed toward fans who he felt had abused him. Those in the crowd were warned that the game would be suspended if they did not change their behaviour.
The match did continue, but Vinicius was later shown a red card in the 97th minute following an unsightly scuffle that saw him slap Hugo Duro in the face, with Real eventually losing 1-0.
Diego Lopez got the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute for the home side.
Vinicius was in the thick of the action and sent Duro down, however, replays show the Valencia striker had his arm round the neck of his opponent moments before.
After being shown the red, Vinicius sarcastically applauded the decision and gestured to the referee about being grabbed round the neck.
He had to be physically restrained by Los Blancos teammates as he was met with a chorus of boos when he walked off the pitch.
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The defeat for Carlo Ancelotti's men who had nothing to play for after exiting the Champions League following a 4-0 thrashing at Man City on Wednesday in their semifinal, second leg at the Etihad stadium.
They are now third in LaLiga with 71 points, 14 behind champions Barcelona who secured the title last week with four games to spare, and local rivals Atletico Madrid in second.
Valencia precious win moved them further away from the relegation zone. With three games to go, Valencia are 13th in LaLiga on 40th points, five clear of the relegation spots.
Vinicius went ahead to tweet after the game: "It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. In football they thinks it's normal, the federation does too, and the opponent encourages it. I'm so sad.
"The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racism.
"A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world. I'm sorry for the Spaniards who don't agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. And unfortunately, for something that happens each week, I have no defence. I let it happen. But I am strong and I will go to the end against racists. Even if it is far from here."
In a statement, La Liga said it has been "fighting against this kind of behaviour for years, as well as promoting the positive values of sport, not only on the field of play, but also off it".
They added that they will request all available images in order to investigate what took place in light of the incident. "If any hate crime is identified, we will take the appropriate legal action," the league said in a statement.
Speaking after the game, Vinicius Jr's manager Carlo Ancelotti said the abuse aimed at his player was unacceptable and told the referee that the game should have been stopped.
"What we saw today is unacceptable. An entire stadium chanting racist slurs," the Real Madrid boss said.
"I don't want to talk about football today, there is no meaning in talking about football today. I told the referee he should have stopped the match.
"LaLiga has a problem. For me Vinicius is the most important player in the world. LaLiga has a problem, these episodes of racism have to stop the match.
"It's the entire stadium that is insulting a player with racist chants and the match has to stop. I would say the same if we were winning 3-0, there is no other way."
Ancelotti later added on Twitter: "Today has been a sad day at Mestalla, where a group of fans have shown their worst version. It is time to stop talking and act forcefully. Racism cannot have a place in football or in society. NO TO RACISM ANYWHERE."
Meanwhile, Valencia issued a statement on their club website, confirming an investigation into the attack on Vinicius Jr has been launched.
"Valencia CF wish to publicly condemn insults and attacks of all kinds in football.
"The club have a firm commitment to the values of respect and sportsmanship and reiterate our position against physical and verbal violence in stadiums. Thus, we are saddened by the events that occurred during the LaLiga Matchday 35 match against Real Madrid.
"Although this is an isolated episode, insults to any opposing player have no place in football and do not fit with the values and identity of Valencia CF. The club are investigating what occurred and will take the most severe measures against the perpetrators. Valencia CF also condemn any offence and request the utmost respect for our fans.
"Whilst strongly denouncing these isolated incidents, Valencia CF would like to thank the more than 46,000 fans in attendance for their support for the team."
Vinicius has been subjected to racist abuse on an alarmingly regular basis in the 2022-23 campaign, with eight complaints already filed by La Liga.
It remains to be seen what action will be taken, after another chaotic fixture in the Spanish top-flight that has seen the division make headlines for too many wrong reasons.
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