Rio Ferdinand furiously called out the authorities in Spain after Vinicius Junior was racially abused during Valencia vs. Real Madrid.
Vinicius Jr was subjected to sickening racist abuse as Real suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was also sent off after clashing with Hugo Duro. He was grabbed by the Valencia player, with the Brazilian forward reacting by striking him.
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As he left the field, Vinicius Jr signaled to the home fans inside the Mestalla Stadium that they're going to be relegated to the second division.
The Real superstar took to social media after the game as he hit out at La Liga and referenced the league's former superstars in Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Naturally, the player received widespread support from the football community, with a host of current stars backing the young forward.
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Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand also showed his support as he slammed the authorities in Spain and issued a plea to some of the world's best players, including Paul Pogba, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford, among many others.
On Instagram, he wrote: "Bro you need protecting….who is protecting @vinijr in Spain ??
"He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game….wtf
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"How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this shit?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help…and the authorities don’t do shit to help him. 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."
This is not the first time Vinicius Jr has suffered vile racist abuse this season, having been targetted by rival fans all campaign.
Topics: Football, Rio Ferdinand, Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid
Nasir Jabbar