Barcelona loses 1-3 to Real Valladolid

May 24, 2023
1 MIN READ
A
A+
A-

Barcelona forward Raphinha took off his jersey and revealed his message of support for fellow Brazilian Vinícius Júnior.

The message, which included anti-racism words in Portuguese and the phrase “we are together, Vini,” was on his undershirt and visible when Raphinha was substituted off in the second half of Barcelona’s 3-1 loss to Valladolid on Tuesday. He raised his right fist while leaving the field.

It was the first matchday in the Spanish league since the outpouring of support for Vinícius Júnior following the latest case of racial abuse against the Real Madrid star forward on the weekend.

Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to repeated racist taunts since he arrived in Spain five years ago. Since the Spanish league season began in September, he has experienced racist abuse by fans of at least five rival teams, including Valencia on Sunday.

Barcelona’s second consecutive defeat since clinching the title with games to spare was overshadowed by the fallout from that.