The statue of Christ the Redeemer goes out in support of Vinicius Júnior and against racism

Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue turned off its lights on Monday night in solidarity with Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr, who received racist insults from Valencia fans at the Mestalla stadium on Sunday.

The lights of the emblematic monument in Rio de Janeiro, the state where Vinicius was born, went out at 06:00 pm for an hour as the culmination of a day in which the Brazilian government and the world of football came together to condemn the racist acts in the spanish league match.

“It is a symbol of the collective fight against racism and in solidarity with the player and with all those who suffer from prejudice in the world,” said the entities, according to the Brazilian outlet. Balloon.

Vinicius added later on Twitter: “Black and imposing. Christ the Redeemer was like this a moment ago. An action of solidarity that moves me. But I want, above all, to inspire and shed more light on our struggle.”

Other sports figures including Kylian Mbappé, Rio Ferdinand and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton also expressed their support for the 22-year-old.

The head of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, admitted that there is a real problem of racism in football in his country, where “press releases are no longer useful”.

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