Real Madrid News
La Liga president apologises to Vinicius Jr over comments amid racism storm: “Not my intention”
A Twitter spat has been brewing over the past couple of days between Real Madrid president Vinicius Jr and La Liga president Javier Tebas.
It all started when Vinicius, who was the subject of racist abuses from Valencia fans at the weekend, publicly called out La Liga and Spain for being racist. Aggrieved by his comments, Tebas took to Twitter to respond to Vinicius.
“Before criticizing and insulting LaLiga, it is necessary that you inform yourself properly. Do not let yourself be manipulated and make sure you fully understand each other’s competencies and the work we have been doing together,” Tebas told Vinicius.
In response, the Brazilian wrote, “Once again, instead of criticizing racists, the president of LaLiga appears on social media to attack me.”
“As much as you talk and pretend not to read, the image of your championship is shaken. See the responses to your posts and have a surprise… Omitting yourself only makes you equal to racists. I’m not your friend to talk about racism. I want actions and punishments. Hashtag doesn’t move me,” he added.
In the aftermath of this Twitter spat, Tebas has now come out in public to apologise to Vinicius. “I didn’t want to attack Vinicius. If he misunderstood the message, I apologize,” he told the media (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“It was not my intention. I expressed myself badly, at a bad time. I had no intention of attacking Vinicius, but rather to clarify a situation.“
It is no secret that Tebas has been at odds with Real Madrid in recent years. His comments on Vinicius, therefore, have further riled up even the neutral supporters of Spanish football. In fact, RFEF president Luis Rubiales himself recently had a swipe on Tebas.
It will be interesting to see whether Vinicius issues a response to Tebas’ apology in the coming days. The Brazilian certainly has the support of the masses, with even prominent sporting stars coming to his support following the incident this past weekend.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe’s commitment to Real Madrid questioned amid claims he was ‘more focused on the World Cup’
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe is always in the spotlight for one reason or another, which is common for a player of his stature.
He has found himself at the centre of fresh debate in Spain, with questions being raised over whether the French superstar is sufficiently focused on Real Madrid.
This is a criticism that has followed him quite a bit since his move to Spain, but Mbappe’s goalscoring numbers simply cannot be criticised.
Questions raised over Mbappe’s priorities
Speaking on El Partidazo de COPE, journalist Juanma Castano discussed the perception surrounding Mbappe.
He suggested that there are people who believe the forward’s priorities have not always been completely aligned with those of Madrid.
“They see him as more committed to himself than to Real Madrid,” Castano said.
The criticism then went further, with the World Cup in the summer also mentioned as a potential factor behind the perception.
“They saw him as more concerned about the World Cup than about the end of the season,” he added.
Those are serious claims to make about a leading player at Madrid whose performances on the pitch have hardly ever dipped.
A serious accusation at Real Madrid
Nothing in Castano’s comments proves that Mbappe deliberately placed France or his personal objectives ahead of Madrid.
Mbappe’s quality is beyond question, and his importance to Mourinho’s attack makes him one of the players Madrid can least afford to have surrounded by doubts over commitment.
The Frenchman was suffering from a knee injury in the second half of last season. This kept him out of action for a few weeks.
Mbappe returned in style at the World Cup, winning the Golden Boot and obliterating all kinds of goalscoring records.
He has since continued in the same vein at the beginning of the season for Mourinho’s team and has been one of La Liga’s best attackers.
Mbappe’s best answer has to come on the pitch
Ultimately, this is the kind of debate Mbappe can shut down himself, not with words but with his performances on the pitch.
Madrid do not need their biggest star to abandon his ambitions with France. They need him to ensure complete commitment to the club when he wears Madrid white, and he has not given them any reason to doubt that.
The Frenchman will continue to be held to very high standards compared to some other players. He is currently recovering from injury and will hope to return to action soon.
It remains to be seen how Mbappe fares for the rest of the season and whether he can play a starring role in bringing silverware back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Benny
May 25, 2023 at 6:28 pm
He should be ashamed of himself for that irresponsible comments he is incompetent, his reputation has been destroyed if he continues to be president of Spanish football he will destroy game