In the midst of the controversy surrounding the alleged racist insults by Gianluca Prestianni toward Vinícius Jr., a new chapter has emerged that is directly related and involves an attitude that can no longer be tolerated in a football stadium.
On social media, there are reports of racist gestures coming from young Benfica fans-images that are utterly deplorable and reignite the debate over racism in football and the urgent need for stronger action inside stadiums.
Two kids making racist gestures toward the pitch
Amid the on-field controversy, at least two videos have surfaced denouncing two children who were making racist gestures from the area near Anatoliy Trubin’s goal.
Around the 72nd minute, with Real Madrid about to take a corner kick, Fede Valverde himself pointed out these gestures coming from two children wearing Benfica shirts. The Uruguayan approached the referee to report the incident, but received no response from the official-raising further questions about the enforcement of the anti-racism protocol in European football.
In football, there is an anti-racism protocol that consists of three steps:
- The first is the stoppage of the match, which was initially carried out following Vinícius Jr.’s complaint.
- The second could be a temporary suspension of the game if the referee had acted on Valverde’s report.
- In a third instance, a football match can be permanently abandoned in cases of persistent discriminatory behavior.
The images and videos circulating online show behavior that football must continue to fight against with zero tolerance for racism. Incidents like these once again highlight the ongoing battle against racism in European football and the responsibility of clubs, referees, and governing bodies to protect players and uphold the integrity of the game.
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