Vinicius Junior praises Sevilla for ejecting fan for racist abuse
- Vinicius was targeted with racial abuse during Real Madrid's trip to Sevilla on Saturday
- Brazil forward has highlighted racism from supporters throughout his time in Spain
- Sevilla fan was ejected and handed over to authorities
Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior praised Sevilla for quickly ejecting a home supporter for 'xenophobic and racist behaviour' and handing them over to authorities during the two clubs' 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Brazil international Vinicius has been targeted with racist abuse at multiple stadiums in La Liga throughout his time in Spain and footage emerged from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium showing a man and a younger fan making racist monkey gestures towards him in the 86th minute.
Sevilla confirmed after full-time a fan had been ejected from the ground and will face disciplinary action from the club.
A statement reads: "Sevilla FC would like to communicate that, after detecting xenophobic and racist behaviour, a member of the public was identified, ejected from the stadium and handed over to legal authorities. The individual will also be subject to the club's vigorous internal disciplinary protocols and have their membership revoked.
"Sevilla FC condemns all racist and xenophobic behaviour and will work closely with the authorities to ensure that action is taken accordingly. This behaviour does not belong at Sevilla FC."
Earlier this year, seven people were fined and given stadium bans for racially abusing Vinicius. Spanish football's response to the winger's reporting of racism in La Liga was criticised, with president Javier Tebas hitting out at Vinicius initially.
In a statement on social media, Vinicius also said he had seen a video of a young fan racially abusing him.
Parabéns ao Sevilla pelo rápido posicionamento e pela punição em mais um triste episódio para o futebol espanhol.
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) October 21, 2023
Infelizmente, tive acesso a um vídeo com outro ato racista na partida deste sábado, dessa vez praticado por uma criança. Lamento muito que não haja ninguém para… pic.twitter.com/azlZ7ccPNZ
His post on X reads: "Congratulations to Sevilla for their quick positioning and punishment in yet another sad episode for Spanish football.
"Unfortunately, I had access to a video of another racist act in this Saturday's match, this time carried out by a child. I am very sorry that there is no one to educate you. I invest, and I invest a lot, in education in Brazil to form citizens with attitudes different from these.
"The face of today's racist is plastered on websites as on many other occasions. I hope the Spanish authorities do their part and change the legislation once and for all. These people need to be criminally punished too.
"It would be a great first step to prepare for the 2030 World Cup [Spain are co-hosts]. I am here to help. Sorry to sound repetitive but it's episode number 19. And counting."
Dani Carvajal quickly equalised after David Alaba's own goal in the 1-1 draw, though Barcelona can shrink Los Blancos' lead at the top of La Liga to just a point if they beat Athletic Club on Sunday night.
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