Brazil’s football team wore black shirts instead of yellow for the first time ever in a stand against racism.
During a friendly against Guinea in Barcelona on Saturday, the Brazilian team played the entire first-half in dark colours – and took the knee before changing back into their bright kits.
It comes after player Vinicius Jr was targeted with racist abuse when Real Madrid took on Valencia at a Spanish league game in May.
The 22-year-old Brazilian-born player was handed a red card for violent conduct during the game at Valencia’s Mestalla ground after becoming enraged and pointing out supporters taunting him from the stands.
Real Madrid subsequently lodged a hate crime complaint with Spanish prosecutors after their 1-0 defeat. The red card was later rescinded by the Spanish football federation (RFEF).
Valencia were ordered to shut the Mario Kempes south stand, where the alleged abuse happened, for five matches and were fined €45,000 (£39,000) by the RFEF.
The incident on 21 May was not the first time Vinicius – or those close to him – had been racially abused while playing in La Liga, the most recent of which allegedly targeted Vinicius’s friend before the match at Espanyol’s stadium on Saturday.
Read more:
Why footballers facing racism will fear being abused, doubted and denounced in Spain
Children as young as seven allegedly ‘racially abused’ during football matches
Vinicius Jr (L), confronts Valencia fans as Antonio Rudiger tries to calm him down. Pic: AP
President of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, said: “The fight against racism, a crime that needs to stop around the world, is also why we are here.
“That’s also why our national team played the first half of the match in black. And today, once again, another criminal was publicly exposed.”
Vinicius Jr (L) challenged by Guinea’s Morgan Guilavogui
Both Brazil and Guinea also posed in front of a banner that read “with racism, there is no game”.
Spanish police arrested three people in Valencia in connection with racial slurs hurled at the Brazilian forward after the game in May.
Back in February, a 20-year-old fan was fined €4,000 (£3,420), banned from stadiums for a year and had his membership to Mallorca football club revoked for three years after another incident where Vinicius was the target of racial abuse.
Real Valladolid also suspended 12 season ticket holders while investigating alleged verbal abuse against the player.
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