Barcelona to investigate claims of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior in El Clasico
- Vinicius was targeted by fans as he was substituted late in the game
- Images appear to show a banana was thrown at the Real Madrid forward
- Barcelona & La Liga have both opened investigations
By Tom Gott
Barcelona have confirmed they will investigate claims of racist abuse directed towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during Saturday's clash between the two Clasico rivals.
Vinicius was substituted in the dying embers of the game after Jude Bellingham's late winner sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory for Madrid on enemy soil.
Footage of Vinicius leaving the pitch appeared to show a section of Barcelona fans directing racist abuse towards the winger, while it has also been claimed that a banana was thrown in Vinicius' direction.
""FC Barcelona will always defend the values of football and sport such as respect for the opponent and we will investigate any racist insult that may have occurred this afternoon during the match against Real Madrid," a statement from Barcelona read.
La Liga have also confirmed their intentions to investigate the allegations, adding: "La Liga has been working from the outset to identify the individuals involved in making racist insults and will file the relevant charges as is always the case.
"We are coordinating with the Mossos d'Esquadra and FC Barcelona."
Sevilla ejected a fan found to have racially abused Vinicius during last weekend's game, having already given evidence in the trial of three Valencia fans accused of using racist insults towards the Madrid forward in May.
Vinicius has been regularly targeted by racist abuse in recent years, with La Liga making at least nine formal complaints to a court in Barcelona last season.
"I personally know that I am not going to change history, that I am not going to make Spain a country without racists, nor the whole world," Vinicius reflected recently to L'Equipe.
"But I know that I can change some things. So that those who come in the next few years do not go through this, so that children can have peace of mind in the future. For them I will do everything I can."
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