The star and legend Pele and his compatriot Neymar have confirmed their solidarity with the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid champion, Vinicius Junior, after the racist attack by Pedro Bravo.
Sharjah 24 – Asaad Khalil:
Big names in Brazilian football, such as Pele and Neymar, expressed their outrage over the racist statements of a Spanish player agent against the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid star, Vinicius Junior, in which he asked to stop “behaving like monkeys. “.
Pedro Bravo, president of the Federation of Soccer Players’ Agents in Spain, made his remarks on Thursday during “Chirengeto Show”, one of Spain’s top sports television programs, saying the 22-year-old should stop playing the role of a monkey. after scoring goals with his usual dance steps.
The comments sparked angry reactions in Brazil, where black players were subjected to racist harassment by fans mimicking the sounds of monkeys.
“Football is fun. It’s a dance,” said the country’s football legend and three-time world champion Pele.
“Although racism exists, unfortunately we will not allow it to stop us from smiling. We will continue to fight racism every day in this way: to fight for our right to be happy and respected,” he added on his Instagram account.
In turn, Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian top scorer Neymar tweeted “Bella Vini Junior” (dance in Portuguese).
After a wave of support from fans and his teammates, Vinicius Jr. released a statement in his own way: “I fell victim to xenophobia and racism in a statement … These are dances to celebrate diversity. cultural world … Whether you accept it, respect it or lose your mind, I will not stop “.
The Brazilian Football Confederation expressed its solidarity with the player in a statement, condemning the “racist statements”.
Real Madrid, champion of Spain, said they reject “all forms of racism and xenophobia” and “will take legal measures”.
Bravo apologized on Twitter, saying he used the term “evil … metaphorically to mean absurd”.
Vinicius, 22, joined Real Madrid in 2018 from Flamengo and became a key player in their ranks, scoring the only winning goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final last May.
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