Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram to share a powerful and defiant message of support for Vinicius Jr after he was racially abused at the weekend.
The 22-year-old Real Madrid winger was sadly subjected to racist chants and abuse from a group of Valencia fans during their game against Los Blancos on Sunday, after which he went on to be sent off for an understandably emotional reaction which was judged to be ‘violent conduct’.
After the young Brazilian reacted to the abuse pitchside, which had been simmering throughout the game, and tried to get the referee’s attention, things boiled over with chaotic scenes ensuing with players from both sides getting involved in a huge grapple and people having to be separated.
Equally concerning was Vinicius Jr’s treatment by Valencia’s Hugo Duro, who effectively choked him by wrapping his arm around his neck. Following the incident, Ferdinand shared an emotional message expressing his “disgust” at the behaviour and how it was handled, stating his solidarity with the footballer.
As you can see, beyond being obviously disappointed to see yet more racist abuse in La Liga and football in general, the former Manchester United defender called upon the league and other football authorities to do more to combat this continuing blight on the game.
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“Rio began the post by writing: Bro you need protecting….who is protecting Vini Jr in Spain?? He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game….wtf.
“How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s***?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s*** to help him.
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“People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game. No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.” Tagging dozens of accounts he urged everyone to “stand together loud and proud.”
As for Vini Jr himself, he shared a deeply saddening statement on Instagram, writing: ” It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it.
“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, today belongs to the racists. A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which is projecting an image of a racist country the image to the rest of the world world.
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“Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. And unfortunately, with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend myself. I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists even though that day seems far away.
We stand with Vinicius Jr and all victims of racism — let’s kick racism out of football forever.
You can the horrific incident in full down below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5QtL6m3hc
Rio Ferdinand, Brazil teammate Casemiro and many others are calling for more protection for Vinicius Jr, who has been serially targeted with racist abuse.
Featured Image — Rio Ferdinand (via Instagram)/Optus Sport (via YouTube)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
22nd May 2023 
