Real Madrid News
Barcelona duo come to Vinicius Jr’s defence after another racist incident: “Must respect all opponents”
Vinicius Jr was target of yet another horrible racism incident as Real Madrid traveled to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to take on Sevilla after the international break.
The game ended 1-1, which was more than what Sevilla fans could have asked for given the controversial refereeing decisions during the game. However, that did not stop them for targeting Vincius, abusing him, and targeting racist insults at him.
If that was not bad enough, a clip of him doing stepovers against Braga was quote tweeted by Barcelona spokesperson Mike Camps on X, who wrote, “It’s not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown and a joker. What do these unnecessary and meaningless bicycles represent in the centre of the field?“
Vini’s playing style has been called provocative in the past, much like Neymar or a lot of other Brazilian wingers over the last decade. However, Barcelona duo Alejandro Balde and Ferran Torres were asked to comment on the same, and came to his defence.
“No, I don’t think Vincius’ playing style is controversial. I think every player has his own way of playing. I don’t know if there are people who might consider it controversial, while others might see it as part of his playing style,” Balde said.
“However, in the end, we must respect all players,” he added.
Ferran also said, “It’s his style. You may like it, or not, but everyone has their own style.”
As a response to the original tweet by Camps, though, news has surfaced that Florentino Perez has decided not to travel to Barcelona and attend El Clasico at the Olympic Saint Montjuic.
Meanwhile, Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste has addressed a public apology to Vinicius after the Catalans’ 2-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk, saying, “Even if it was a mistake, it did not have to be done. It is an unfortunate tweet. If you are listening to me Vini, it will not be repeated.”
Real Madrid News
La Liga icon critical of Real Madrid duo after derby defeat: ‘Takes much more away than he gives’
Real Madrid have already lost two of their opening seven La Liga matches, against Real Betis and Atletico Madrid, leaving Jose Mourinho’s side under significant pressure in the early stages of the campaign.
After all, Barcelona have won all of their matches and have taken a six-point lead at the top of the table, whereas Los Blancos currently sit fourth in the standings.
The defeat to Atletico Madrid this past weekend, in particular, has drawn a lot of criticism towards the team, although Mourinho did not accept responsibility for the defeats in his post-match press conference, instead pointing to the referees.
Nevertheless, the team’s performances have consequently come under scrutiny, with former Real Madrid star and La Liga icon Santiago Canizares offering his assessment on COPE (via SPORT).
Strong criticism of Vinicius Jr. and Marc Cucurella
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper was also highly critical of Vinicius Jr.’s current performances.
The Brazilian is now one of the club captains, but Canizares believes his contribution has been insufficient.
“He’s a player who, at the moment, and especially with the captain’s armband, I think takes much more away than he gives,” he said.
Canizares also questioned the form of Real Madrid summer signing, Marc Cucurella, arguing that the left-back has not reproduced the level he showed with Spain.
“He isn’t the player we saw at the World Cup,” the former shot-stopper stated.
The former goalkeeper was nevertheless keen to distinguish Cucurella’s current form from his overall quality, saying:
“I’m not questioning him because his ability is beyond doubt, but he isn’t currently the player we saw at the World Cup, at the Euros or with the Spanish national team in general.”
Canizares backs Real Madrid’s complaints
Meanwhile, Canizares also addressed the refereeing decisions made by Ortiz Arias, particularly two challenges involving Real Madrid players that could have resulted in red cards, saying:
“Mourinho is right. Madrid supporters are right that the referee did not help them.”
However, the former goalkeeper identified what he considers to be a broader issue with the club’s sporting planning.
He pointed to the failed attempt to sign Rodri, the decision to spend more than €140 million on Yan Diomande and the renewal of Vinicius.
Canizares was particularly critical of the fee paid for Diomande, as he said: “He’s a good player, but they paid twice what he’s worth.”
He added that, in his view, the deal was connected to negotiations involving Vinicius and his representatives.
“It was a price that had to be paid for Vinícius’ representatives to say yes to the Vinícius offer,” he said.
Cañizares’ comments come as Real Madrid look to respond to their difficult start and address a number of concerns surrounding Mourinho’s squad once the international break is over.
