Barcelona manager Xavi has insisted that games should be stopped if players are racially abused, after Sunday’s incident involving Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius Jr was racially abused in the second half of Real Madrid’s fixture with Valencia on Sunday, leading to a lengthy pause in play. The winger has since been buoyed by an outcry of support from large sections of the footballing world. Xavi is the latest to publicly express his backing.
“Yes, matches should be stopped,” Xavi said in a press conference. “It is the only profession in which insults are accepted. I don’t see any baker or teacher being insulted at work. All this has to be stopped. Try insulting a building worker. I’m sure a brick will fall on your head.
“It doesn’t matter what shirt you wear. Vinicius is a person before he is a footballer. We have to defend the football professional. I don’t understand as a person, as a citizen, that you have to put up with insults.”
