Four people have been arrested over the hanging effigy of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr in Madrid as the fallout from Spanish football’s racism storm continues.
The effigy was hanged by the neck on the morning of the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico in January, beneath a banner bearing the words “Madrid hates Real”. The arrests come in the aftermath of a heated match on Sunday in which Vinicius was racially abused by some Valencia supporters, an ugly incident that has become a regular occurrence for the Brazilian winger to endure this season.
Vincius has said Spanish football “belongs to racists” and Real Madrid have lodged a ‘hate crime’ complaint. In Brazil, president Lula came out in support of the player and the lights were switched off on the Christ the Redeemer statue last night in solidarity.
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