Kylian Mbappe, Gianni Infantino send message of support to Vinicius Junior after racist abuse

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe sent a message of support to fellow forward Vinicius Junior after the Real Madrid player was subjected to racist abuse on Sunday. The latest abuse against Vinícius came in Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Valencia, a match that had to be temporarily stopped after the Brazil forward said he was insulted by a fan behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium.

The 22-year-old Vinicius, who is is Black, has been subjected to repeated racist abuse since moving to Spain five years ago. “You are not alone. We are with you and we support you,” Mbappé wrote on Instagram.

Mbappé was also hit by racist and hateful comments on social networks following France’s loss to Argentina in the World Cup final last year.

FIFA president also offers support

Soccer governing body FIFA's president Gianni Infantino expressed his support for Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

"Full solidarity to Vinicius. There is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation," Infantino said in a statement.

"Events during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid show that this needs to be the case. That is why the three-step process exists in FIFA competitions and it is recommended at all levels of football.

"Firstly, you stop the match, you announce it. Secondly, the players leave the pitch and the speaker announces that if the attacks continue, the match will be suspended. The match restarts, and then, thirdly, if the attacks continue, the match will stop and the three points will go to the opponent."

Infantino added that the steps to stop racism need to be supported through education.

Vincius Jr received a wave of support after the incident, including from Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

LaLiga has previously lodged complaints of racist chanting or insults against Vinicius Jr, the latest of which was a claim before a court in Mallorca after fans were filmed racially abusing the forward.

Spanish police are also investigating a possible hate crime against Vinicius Jr after a mannequin wearing his number 20 shirt was hung from a bridge outside Real Madrid's training ground in January.

- AP and Reuters inputs

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