‘They do it because Vinicius is dangerous’: Ancelotti on racism against Brazil forward

Madrid, Sep 16 (IANS) Following Real Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad, it was once again Vinicius Jr. who was in the headlines. The forward shushed the Sociedad faithful after scoring a goal as he had been at the receiving end of jeers throughout the night.

In recent years the Brazilian has been the subject of racial attacks on and off the pitch. Manager Carlo Ancelotti defended his star forward, claiming the only reason fans target him is because he is ‘dangerous on a sporting level.’

“Ever since I arrived, the same things have happened with Vinicius and it’s something that obviously can’t be tolerated. I understand the booing of an opponent, but whistles and insults during warm-ups, it’s not normal. Who can stand that? They shouldn’t pay much attention to Vinicius and pay more attention to what happens in the stadiums. They do it because Vinicius is a danger on a sporting level and they try to distract him from the game,” said Ancelotti in the pre-match conference.

“We see and hear insults towards him. When they attack you, you bleed. And it’s normal for him to respond with certain gestures,” added Carvajal in the press conference.

After getting off to a topsy-turvy start in La Liga, Real Madrid will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, Europe’s premier club competition, as they host VFB Stuttgart in their opening game.

Ancelotti went on to elaborate on the importance of the ‘special’ tournament.

“For me, the Champions League is very special. And the day-to-day, being here, talking to the players, preparing training sessions, putting up with the problems that arise. I consider myself very patient…because every day there is a problem. And many times they are not problems, but silly things that we consider problems. Just like in life. I like this day to day,” he added.

–IANS

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