Real Madrid defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in the 35th round of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on Friday (May 25). Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the hosts, but they conceded a 39th-minute equalizer to Raul de Tomas. It looked as if the game would stay tied, but Hodriguez scored the winner in the 44th minute.
The highlight of the game came before kickoff. All the Real Madrid players came out wearing Vinicius’ jerseys. They were greeted by a standing ovation from the fans in attendance. They applauded again in the first 20 minutes to honor Vinicius’ jersey number 20. Vinicius did not play in the match.
The ceremony was dedicated to a teammate who has recently been the victim of racism. The incident occurred in the 35th round match against Valencia on April 22. The Valencia home fans chanted racist slogans at Vinicius. The majority, not the minority, laughed and mocked. Eventually, Vinicius got into an altercation with the home fans during the game.
The controversy didn’t die down easily. Vinicius took to social media after the game to express his regrets. He uploaded a video of the racist abuse he had received. “Racism is a crime. Those who don’t punish it are accomplices.” He also wrote, “Racism is a crime.
His coworkers responded. They wore Vinicius’ jersey to show their support, and soccer officials such as Chavi Hernandez also showed their support. 안전놀이터
Meanwhile, Valencia announced on their official website that three fans had been arrested for chanting racist slogans. The club moved quickly to take responsibility for the incident. The Spanish Football Federation punished Valencia. The club will close part of the stands at its home stadium, the Estadio de Mestalla, for five games. They also fined the club 45,000 euros (about $64 million).