“Two hideous twins”- Fans laud Raphinha for imprinting Vinicius Jr.’s tattoo’s message on his jersey in battle against racism

Barcelona star Raphinha unveiled a message in solidarity with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, as he was substituted against Valladolid on Tuesday where the Blaugranas eventually lost 3-1. Raphinha took his shirt off as he was substituted, revealing a message that read: “As long as the color of the skin is more important than the glow of the eyes, there will be war.”

Vinicius, who was racially abused by Valencia fans at the weekend, leading to a suspension in play as Real Madrid lost at the Mestalla, has the same message tattooed on his body. Before the game between the Liga champions and Valladolid, players from both teams held up an anti-racism banner. Vinicius has received support from across the football world, with the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Ronaldo Nazario showing their solidarity with the Brazilian.

He has since had his red card, which he received after a melee in the penalty area following the abuse, revoked by the Spanish Football Federation, while Valencia has confirmed that three perpetrators have been identified by police. He is now free to play in Real’s La Liga clash with Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday but it remains to be seen if Carlo Ancelotti will select him.

Related: Spanish FA takes strict action after Vinicius Jr.’s racial abuse incident, rescinds his red card, and closes Valencia stand for 5 matches

Here is how fans reacted after Raphinha’s gesture towards compatriot Vini Jr after he was subjected to racial abuse

Vinícius has been subjected to repeated racist taunts since he arrived in Spain five years ago. Since the Spanish league season began in September, he has experienced racist abuse by fans of at least five rival teams, including Valencia on Sunday.

Players from Barcelona and Valladolid held a banner before the match with the words “racists out of football,” which is one of the slogans of a campaign against racism launched jointly by the Spanish league, Spanish federation, and the government’s top sports authority. Anti-racism slogans were also shown during the national and international broadcasts of the game.

The match was Barcelona’s second consecutive defeat since clinching the title with games to spare. They face Mallorca next on Sunday. Recent results have seen Real Madrid downgrade to the third spot in the La Liga table a point behind Atletico Madrid. Despite the title race being over, they will want to bounce back to at least a second spot to match their successes in previous campaigns.

In case you missed it:

“Challenging the system; Bigger than Hamilton”- Fans compare Vinicius Jr. to Muhammed Ali after he leads fight against racism in Spain

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