"On February 17, Gianluca Prestianni was not wearing a sheet, but was a coward all the same. The 20-year old Argentine soccer player for S.L. Benfica covered his mouth with his canary-red jersey as he allegedly called Vinicius Jr. "mono," Spanish for "monkey," five consecutive times after the star Brazilian had celebrated after scoring a goal."
"Since signing to Real Madrid CF in 2018, Vinicius Jr. has faced over 26 instances of racial abuse. While the regularity of these incidents has transformed him into a global figure of resistance against racial discrimination, it has also intensified the severity of the problem."
""I heard it," said Kylian Mbappé of the alleged racist abuse. "There are Benfica players that also heard it." In response, the club has said that there has been a "defamation campaign" against him."
Vinicius Jr., a Brazilian star player for Real Madrid, has endured over 26 instances of racial abuse since 2018, including a February 17 incident where Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni allegedly called him "mono" (monkey) five times. Prestianni denied the racist slur, claiming he used a homophobic slur instead, while his club Benfica dismissed accusations as a "defamation campaign." Multiple witnesses, including Kylian Mbappé and other Benfica players, reported hearing the abuse. The recurring nature of such incidents has made Vinicius Jr. a global symbol of resistance against racial discrimination in sports, yet perpetrators face limited accountability.
Read at The Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]