The Real Madrid coach, who said that the body that oversees European football has an opportunity so that its “fight against racism does not remain in words”, argued that the Brazilian international is the victim in the case.
“Vinícius scored a fantastic goal on a fantastic pitch and celebrated a goal like we have seen football players hundreds of times throughout history, regardless of the color of their skin. We cannot place the victim as a provocateur, this is unjustifiable. Nothing Vinícius did justifies a racist act“, he emphasized.
Arbeloa reaffirmed that if Vinícius had decided to leave the pitch, that the team would accompany him, showing himself to be proud of the unity of the working group.
“It was Vinícius’ decision to return to the field and continue playing. If he had said he wouldn’t continue playing, we would all have left. There is no title or victory that makes me feel more proud than I felt on Tuesday due to the way all my teammates reacted, the way they continued playing and their statements after the game”, he said.
The coach also classified Vinícius Júnior as “courageous” for returning to the Estádio da Luz pitch, despite highlighting that the international ‘canarinho’ “is sad” about the whole case.
“Vini has been sad, like everyone else. And very indignant about what happened on Tuesday. It’s a racist act that we don’t want to happen again, it has no place in sport or society. We have a huge opportunity not to let it pass and continue fighting against the scourge that is racism. Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies a racist act,” he said.
After the 1-0 home defeat, Benfica will visit Real Madrid on Wednesday, in the second leg of the playoff to reach the round of 16 of the Champions League.
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