Brazil Demand 'Thorough Investigation' and 'Exemplary Punishment' Over Racist Abuse Aimed at Vinicius Jr
The Brazilian Football Confederation has written to both FIFA and UEFA demanding serious action over the alleged racist abuse directed at Vinicius Jr during Benfica vs Real Madrid.
Brazil’s football federation aren’t messing about — they’ve gone straight to the top, writing to both FIFA and UEFA demanding proper accountability over the alleged racist abuse directed at Vinicius Júnior during last Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Benfica.
What’s Gone On?
In case you missed it, Vinicius scored the only goal as Real Madrid won 1-0 at the Estádio da Luz. After the goal, an altercation broke out between Vinicius and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, with Vinicius alleging he was on the receiving end of racist abuse from the Argentine winger. The referee, Frenchman François Letexier, activated the anti-racism protocol, bringing the game to a halt for around eight minutes. There were also reports of objects being thrown onto the pitch from the stands — a proper horrible night all round.
Prestianni has since gone on social media to flatly deny making any racist remarks, and has also claimed he received threats from Real Madrid players. So it’s all a bit of a mess, and the truth of exactly what was said is still very much up in the air.
Brazil Stepping In
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) clearly aren’t willing to sit on their hands while this gets swept under the carpet. CBF president Samir Xaud has personally written to both FIFA and UEFA, and the key demands are pretty clear:
- A thorough investigation into what actually happened, taking into account Vinicius’s testimony as well as other witnesses present
- Exemplary punishment for anyone found to be responsible for racial abuse
- Active monitoring from FIFA over how the case develops
- UEFA to implement all necessary measures to identify and sanction those responsible
Xaud also took a moment to acknowledge FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s public show of solidarity with Vinicius, and gave UEFA credit for their existing anti-discrimination frameworks — though the message between the lines is pretty obvious: nice policies are one thing, but now it’s time to actually use them.
Why This Matters
Vinicius has been through this sort of thing more times than anyone should have to deal with, and the fact that Brazil’s governing body is now formally intervening at an international level shows just how seriously this is being taken beyond the walls of the Bernabéu. Whether FIFA and UEFA respond with genuine rigour or the usual bureaucratic foot-dragging remains to be seen — and honestly, given the history, you’d be forgiven for being a bit sceptical.
But with the CBF putting it in writing and demanding receipts, it’s going to be a lot harder for anyone to quietly let this one fade away. Watch this space.