Jude Bellingham said Vinícius Júnior and other players need more support in dealing with the “massive problem” of racism in Spanish football, describing the abuse some players receive as “disgusting.”
TV images showed a fan making racist gestures towards Bellingham’s Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni after scoring in Saturday’s 1-0 LaLiga win at Real Mallorca, with the home side saying they are working with police to identify the individual responsible.
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Vinícius has been targeted with racist abuse by opposition fans on numerous occasions, including during a league game away at Valencia last season that sparked a global outcry on the issue.
“I didn’t even know [about the Tchouaméni incident],” Bellingham said when asked about the problem during a news conference Tuesday. “In games when we go away in LaLiga, you almost get so used to it that I wasn’t even aware of the incident. That’s a massive problem.
“More has to be done, whether it’s the punishment or how you react to it, or how you move proactively. It’s a horrible way for a player to have to prepare for a game, knowing they’ll probably get racially abused. It’s disgusting, it shouldn’t happen. People in power need to do more, especially with Viní.
“The blame gets shifted more onto him with his playing style, and the way he likes to express himself, and I don’t think that’s fair. The game would miss Viní if he decided to take a break because of this kind of thing. More needs to be done to support these kinds of players.”
