MADRID: Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse yet again on Sunday with the Brazil star saying the Spanish league “now belongs to racists.”
The latest abuse against Vinícius came in Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium.
“It wasn’t the first time, or the second or the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it’s normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it,” Vinícius said on Instagram and Twitter. “The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi now belongs to racists ... But I’m strong and I will fight until the end against the racists. Even if far from here.”
The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti considered replacing the star forward after Vinícius said fans at Mestalla chanted “monkey” toward him. He said Vinícius initially didn’t want to continue playing.
“What happened today shouldn’t happen,” Ancelotti said. “When a stadium yells ‘monkey’ to a player, and the coach considers taking him out of the field because of that, it means that there is something bad in this league.”
The veteran coach refused to talk about the game after what happened, saying his team’s loss meant nothing.
“The game should have been stopped,” Ancelotti said. “This shouldn’t happen. It wasn’t only one person, as it has happened in several stadiums. Here, it was a stadium racially insulting a player, the game had to stop. I would have said the same thing if it was 3-0 for us. You have to stop the game, there was no way around it.”
Ancelotti said he asked the referee to stop the match, but was told that the protocol was to first make an announcement to fans, then take other action if the problem continued.
Ancelotti said Vinícius didn’t want to keep playing but he told the player that he wasn’t guilty of anything and that he was the victim. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he would have left the field with Vinicius if his teammate had decided to stop playing.
“Vinícius is upset, obviously, but more than upset, he is sad,” Ancelotti said.
According to Spanish media reports, Valencia has identified two fans who allegedly insulted Vinícius behind one of the goals.
Some comments on social media claimed fans were saying the Spanish word “tonto” (silly) instead of “mono” (monkey).
Valencia later said it expected Ancelotti to apologize to Valencia fans for accusing them of racism after misunderstanding what was said. The coach told a news conference that the referee wouldn’t have started the racism protocol if he didn’t think there was racism in the stadium.
Vinícius was later sent off after an altercation with Valencia players, and gestured to home fans about their team’s fight against relegation as he left the field. Valencia took a huge step toward avoiding the drop with the 1-0 victory opening a five-point gap to the bottom three teams entering the final three rounds.
“The reward for the racists was my ejection!” Vinícius said on Instagram, along with the Spanish league’s slogan “It’s not soccer, it’s LaLiga.”
Vinícius had called the referee around the 70th minute and started pointing to a person sitting among the Valencia supporters. The player went near the stands and confronted the fans while players from both teams tried to restore calm.
Police eventually arrived in the stands to deal with the supporters. An announcement was made asking fans to behave.
The match at Mestalla was stopped for about seven minutes, and not long after it resumed Vinícius clashed with Valencia players and was sent off for pushing one of his opponents away with a hand to his face.
After the decision of his ejection was made following a video review, Vinícius started applauding ironically. As he was leaving the field, he made a “going down” gesture over relegation. That upset players on the Valencia bench and some charged toward Vinícius as he left the field, causing the game to be temporarily stopped again.
Valencia coach Rubén Baraja condemned the behavior of Valencia fans but also criticized Vinícius, saying he should have respected the club and its supporters.
Vinícius’ teammate Dani Ceballos criticized the fans but said he also expected Vinícius to apologize for his gestures after being sent off.
Ancelotti said Vinícius’ reaction was normal considering what he had gone through moments earlier.
The Spanish league said it has requested images from the game to investigate what happened. It will also probe possible insults against Vinícius outside Mestalla, when a large group of fans also allegedly called the player a monkey as the Madrid bus arrived.
League president Javier Tebas criticized Vinícius for attacking the league without fully understanding what it has done recently to combat racism, and saying the player didn’t show up for talks on the subject that he had requested himself.
The league has made nine formal complaints over racist abuse against Vinícius over the last two seasons, with many of the cases being shelved. A Mallorca fan may end up going on trial after allegedly racially insulting the Brazilian during a game.
The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional soccer is expected to happen at some point this year in a case involving Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.
Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse
https://arab.news/gv5wx
Vinicius Junior says Spanish league ‘now belongs to racists’ after enduring more abuse
- The 22-year-old Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago
Boca denied by two Argentines as Benfica fight back
- The Argentine club had led 2-0 thanks to goals from Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia and looked set for a night of celebration after Benfica went down to 10 men in the 72nd minute
MIAMI GARDENS, United States, June 17, 2025 : Goals from two Argentine internationals denied Boca Juniors victory over Benfica on Monday, as the Buenos Aires side were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw in a stormy Club World Cup Group C clash.
An Angel Di Maria penalty on the stroke of half-time and an 86th-minute header from Nicolas Otamendi earned the 10-man Lisbon side a point from a fiercely contested encounter in what was a de facto home game for Boca.
The Argentine club had led 2-0 thanks to goals from Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia and looked set for a night of celebration after Benfica went down to 10 men in the 72nd minute.
Boca fans had taken over Miami Beach over the weekend, thousands of them gathering on the seafront for a traditional ‘banderazo’, singing, drinking and waving flags for hours in the searing heat.
A video of Boca fans jumping and chanting in a local Walmart supermarket, to the bemusement of regular shoppers, had captured the mood but it was nothing compared to the atmosphere at Hard Rock Stadium.
The home of the Miami Dolphins was turned into a Bombonera by the beach, with 90 percent of the 55,574 crowd decked out in blue and yellow and bringing a level of constant noise rarely, if ever, heard for NFL games here.
When the action got underway it was clear that the enthusiasm from the stands was going to be matched on the field with Boca confirming the feeling that South American clubs in this tournament are out to prove a point against European opponents.
Boca’s midfield buzzed around, they attacked at pace and tackled with aggression and the first huge roar came when Benfica’s Argentine World Cup winner Di Maria received a rough challenge from behind.
But the physicality was laced with skill too and clever work from Lautaro Blanco down the left created the opening goal in the 21st minute.
Blanco cut in from the left flank, nutmegging Benfica defender Florentino and zipping a low ball in which was expertly flicked home by Merentiel.
The goal lifted the volume even higher and Benfica were struggling to cope — six minutes later they fell 2-0 behind when from a deep Kevin Zenon corner, Ayrton Costa headed toward the back post were the alert Battaglia nodded home from close range.
Two-time European champions Benfica desperately needed to get a foothold in the game and they were gifted one when Boca’s Carlos Palacios mistimed a challenge on Otamendi and after a VAR review — which included a red card for protesting from the already substituted Boca midfield Ander Herrera — a penalty was awarded.
The 37-year-old Di Maria showed all his experience to send Agustín Marchesín the wrong way as he gently slotted home to reduce the deficit.
The tempo slowed after the break but Boca had a chance to restore their two-goal lead in the 69th but Battaglia headed wide from a promising position.
Benfica found themselves further in trouble when Andrea Belotti, a half-time sub, was sent off in the 71st minute after a wild, high-footed kick into the head of Ayrton Costa.
But then with six minutes remaining Boca’s defense failed to pick up Otamendi at a corner kick and the Argentine veteran met Orkun Kokcu’s cross with a thundering header to level the game.
A disappointing result for Boca was compounded by a late red card for Nicolas Figal, who was dismissed for an ugly challenge on Florentino.
Group C also features Bayern Munich and Auckland FC.
Saudi Arabia edges Haiti 1-0 in Gold Cup on penalty kick
Saleh Al-Shehri’s penalty kick in the 21st minute held up as the winner as Saudi Arabia shut out Haiti 1-0 in CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A play on Sunday night in San Diego.
Al-Shehri drew a foul in the penalty area on Frantzdy Pierrot in the 18th minute, then converted a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner to lift Saudi Arabia (1-0-0, 3 points) in the opener for both teams.
Haiti had an opportunity to pull even in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, but Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi (four saves) denied Dany Jean in the center of the goal on a right-footed shot from outside the box.
Haiti (0-1-0, 0 points) posted a decisive edge in corner kicks (11-1), but Saudi Arabia finished with more shots on goal (5-4) and shot attempts (13-7).
Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide finished with three saves.
Palmeiras and Porto draw 0-0 in their first Club World Cup match
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ: Palmeiras and two-time European champion Porto tied 0-0 in their opening match of the Club World Cup on Sunday night before a crowd of 46,275 at MetLife Stadium, which was just over half full.
Estevão’s left-footed shot in first-half stoppage time went into the hands of Claúdio Ramos, and Richard Ríos’ attempt off the rebound was blocked.
Palmeiras, Brazil’s club champion in 2022 and ‘23, qualified as the 2021 Copa Libertadores winner, while Porto reached the tournament as Europe’s fifth-ranked eligible team over a four-year period.
Palmeiras had a 17-11 advantage in shots and 55.3 percent possession. Its fans took over a side of the stadium, waving flags and cheering or the entire match.
Key Moment
Ramos’ double save in first-half stoppage time.
Takeaways
There is a four-way tie in Group A, which opened with Inter Miami and Al Ahly’s drawing 0-0 on Saturday, Palmeiras will face 12 -time African champion Al Ahly on Thursday in East Rutherford and Porto will play Miami the same day in Atlanta.
What they said
“The first 60 minutes were short on play. We’ve had many friendlies, but playing behind closed doors isn’t the same as playing with Palmeiras. We competed very well, and we left a mark that we couldn’t give up on.” – Porto coach Martin Anselmi.
“Porto had one or two goal opportunities sometimes it happens, sometimes its not the most aggressive team that wins. I wish that we had played for the 90 minutes like the last 15. But we have competent player, we are a young team. Our attack is very young.” – Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira.
PSG cruise past Atletico to win Club World Cup opener
- Goals from Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-In sealed the three points for PSG
PASADENA, United States: Newly crowned European Champions Paris Saint-Germain launched their bid for Club World Cup glory with a convincing 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
In searing heat at the Pasadena Rose Bowl east of Los Angeles, PSG proved too hot to handle for their Spanish opponents in an impressive opening Group B win.
Goals from Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-In sealed the three points for PSG, who delighted a crowd of 80,619 with their adventurous attacking play.
The French giants picked up where they had left off in their 5-0 Champions League final mauling of Inter Milan a fortnight earlier, quickly settling into their smooth passing game to control the early exchanges.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was soon pressed into action, blocking a Goncalo Ramos shot from just outside the box on 17 minutes as PSG’s pressure mounted.
Oblak denied PSG again moments later, diving to stop a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shot that was destined for the bottom left-hand corner.
Those early warning shots proved to be a precursor for the game’s opening goal in the 19th minute.
A lovely passing move down the right saw the ball swiftly transferred to Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia who deftly laid off into the path of Ruiz to sweep in a low finish for 1-0.
With Atletico struggling to gain any kind of a foothold in the contest, the Spanish side’s frustration began to show.
Clement Lenglet was booked for a rash challenge on Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi in the 21st minute, and Robin Le Normand picked up Atletico’s second yellow soon afterwards for bringing down Ruiz.
Ruiz himself was booked on 28 minutes for a shove on Giuliano Simeone before the Argentine midfielder collected Atletico’s third yellow soon afterwards.
With the Parisians in complete control, Atletico had to wait until the stroke of half-time before their first shot on goal, France’s Antoine Griezmann drawing a smart save from Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low shot.
From the ensuing counter-attack, however, Atletico found themselves 2-0 down.
The electric Kvaratskhelia again found space down the left and fed inside to Vitinha, who ghosted into the box before steering a crisp shot beyond Oblak for 2-0.
Atletico appeared to have hauled themselves back into the game early in the second half when Julian Alvarez rifled home a low finish to make it 2-1.
But the goal was chalked off after VAR spotted a bodycheck by Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul on Desire Doue in the build-up.
That effort appeared to buoy Atletico for the remainder of the half, but despite playing with greater intensity they were unable to create a single shot on goal.
Lenglet was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card on 78 minutes.
A disappointing Atleti display was summed up by a glaring miss four minutes later, substitute Alexander Sorloth somehow scooping over an open goal from a few yards out after Marcos Llorente’s cross.
PSG swiftly made Atleti pay for that miss, substitute Senny Mayulu pouncing on a loose ball to make it 3-0 in the 87th minute. The rout was completed in injury time when Lee stepped up to convert a penalty after a handball by Le Normand.
PSG will face Brazil’s Botafogo in their next group match in Pasadena on Thursday, before completing the first round against Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders on June 23.
Merciless Bayern hit 10 against amateurs Auckland City at Club World Cup
- Kingsley Coman, Michael Olize and Thomas Mueller all netted twice, while Sacha Boey was also on target for the German champions
CINCINNATI: Bayern Munich showed no mercy to amateurs Auckland City at the Club World Cup on Sunday, beating the minnows from New Zealand 10-0 in their opening game as Jamal Musiala came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick.
Kingsley Coman, Michael Olize and Thomas Mueller all netted twice, while Sacha Boey was also on target for the German champions in the game in Group C, which also features Boca Juniors and Benfica.
Harry Kane started but didn’t find the target before being replaced just after the hour mark by Musiala, who netted his three goals in the space of 18 minutes toward the end.
It was a stroll in the park in the midday sun in Cincinnati for Vincent Kompany’s side, with France winger Coman scoring twice in the opening 21 minutes either side of goals by compatriots Boey and Olize.
Coman’s sixth-minute breakthrough goal was the first of the tournament following the 0-0 draw between Inter Miami and Al Ahly in Saturday’s opening game.
Mueller got the fifth and Olize’s second of the afternoon made it 6-0 in first-half stoppage time for the Bundesliga heavyweights.
Auckland City managed to stem the tide for much of the second half before Musiala came on and took center stage, his three goals including one from the penalty spot.
Mueller made it 10-0 in the 89th minute for a Bayern side who won the Club World Cup twice in its former seven-team guise, in 2013 and 2020.
They have recorded bigger victories in the past in the German Cup, but the 10-goal winning margin equals their best ever win in the Bundesliga, when they beat Borussia Dortmund 11-1 in 1971.
Bayern, who gave new signing Jonathan Tah a debut in central defense following his recent arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, play Boca in their next match in Miami on Friday.
Auckland City take on Benfica earlier the same day in Orlando.
