Madrid, June 18, (dpa/GNA) – Brazil’s national team made a statement against racism by wearing a black kit in the first half of their friendly international against Guinea on Saturday night.
Several players also took a knee before kick-off in Barcelona, as the national federation CBF said “there is no game with racism.”
After wearing black for the first time in national team history, Selecao players returned to the traditional yellow shirts after the break in the game they won 4-1.
Brazilian star player Vinicius Junior has been the target of racist abuse on several occasions in Spain, while playing for Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior scored the final goal on Saturday, after earlier strikes from debutant Joelinton, Rodrygo and Éder Militao.
The CBF said they will continue their campaign against racism in another friendly with Senegal on Tuesday in Lisbon.
Gianni Infantino, president of the ruling body FIFA, met with Vinicius Junior recently, and said the player would head a new FIFA task force against racism after meeting with the player.
FIFA, in a statement on Sunday, reaffirmed its stance against any kind of online discrimination together with the players’ union FIFPRO, after issuing a report based on findings from its social media protection tool.
“Discrimination is a criminal act. With the help of this tool, we are identifying the perpetrators and we are reporting them to the authorities so that they are punished for their actions,” Infantino said.
FIFA said that almost 20,000 posts have been confirmed as abusive and discrimatory – with a spike at the World Cup quarter-final between England and France – and 300 people identified as offenders.
GNA