MADRID (AP) 鈥� Real Madrid forward Vin铆cius J煤nior praised Barcelona star Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in a recent match, saying players need to stick together in the fight against discrimination.
Vin铆cius spoke Monday, less than a week after Yamal by Spanish fans in Spain鈥檚 friendly against Egypt last Tuesday. Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chants were disrespectful and intolerable.
Vin铆cius, a Brazil international, has been often subjected to racist taunts while playing in Europe and is vocal about the fight against racism. He said 鈥渋t’s always complicated鈥� to talk about the subject but 鈥渢hese things happen a lot.鈥�
鈥淗opefully we can continue with this fight,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s important that Lamine speaks about it. It could help others. We are famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor people and the Blacks who are everywhere, they surely struggle more than we do. So we have to stick together, those who have a stronger voice, the players 鈥︹��
In a Champions League match last month in Lisbon, of calling him a monkey after the Brazil forward celebrated in front of the home fans when he scored for Madrid. Benfica fans insulted Vin铆cius from the stands.
鈥淚’m not saying that Spain or Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, and in Brazil and other countries as well,鈥� Vin铆cius said. 鈥淏ut if we keep fighting together, I think future players and people in general won’t have to go through this again.鈥�
Vin铆cius spoke on the eve of the first leg between Madrid and Bayern Munich in the .
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