The Vinicius case greatly affected the image of La Liga. Photo: Reuters.
“I think my message and my point of view have been misunderstood, especially in Brazil,” the La Liga chief told ESPN Brazil, “I don’t mean to attack Vinicius. But if people understand my words. In that way, I need to apologize. I didn’t mean it like that and expressed my opinion inappropriately at a bad time.”
On May 23, after Vinicius posted on his personal page to attack the match referee and La Liga organizers, Mr. Tebas immediately responded to the Real Madrid star. “Before you (Vinicius) criticize and insult La Liga, you need to ask yourself first, Vini Jr. Don’t let yourself be manipulated,” La Liga President wrote on his personal page.
Mr. Tebas’ message then angered Brazilian public. They believe that the leader of La Liga is promoting racism at the tournament. Rio Ferdinand, former MU star, wrote on his personal page that Tebas “is a shameful person and should resign”. However, Mr. Tebas further explained that he had no problem with Vinicius and was just trying to protect the image of La Liga.
“I want to make it clear in the above incident that I did not mean to attack Vinicius. I did so because the player posted a sensitive video related to La Liga,” he affirmed.
After the incident on the Valencia field took place, Vinicius made a few statements criticizing La Liga. The Real Madrid striker stated: “The reward of the racists is that I am disqualified. This is not the first time, nor the second or the third. Racism is common. It happens often in La Liga. So does the tournament organizer, the federation (Spanish Football Federation – PV) and rival clubs encourage it. I’m sorry.”
Spanish media reported that the country’s police had arrested at least seven people in connection with the racial discrimination case with the Real Madrid star. Valencia has also issued a life ban for 3 team fans.
Hong An | 08:25 05/25/2023
