Patrice Evra has spoken out in defence of Vinícius Júnior following alleged racist abuse during a Champions League match.
Evra’s Reaction to the Alleged Incident
Evra, the former Manchester United and Juventus left-back, addressed the alleged racism that occurred during the Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid. Vinícius Júnior accused Gianluca Prestianni of calling him “mono” (monkey, in Spanish) after the Real Madrid player scored. Evra gave an interview to The Athletic where he lamented José Mourinho’s comments after the game.
Evra criticised Mourinho for targeting Vinícius Júnior’s celebration prior to the alleged insult. He stated that Vinícius has to keep insisting on the matter.
“It’s sad. The Vinícius has to keep insisting on the subject. It is the target, it is what he will feel. When these things happen, you feel injustice because, even if you are the one saying what happened, the people accused will make themselves victims,” Evra stated.
He added, “It was what happened with Luis Suárez and it is what is happening now with the Vinícius. People complain more about his attitude. They say: ‘Why is he dancing, why is he provoking?’. They give an excuse for a person to insult him just because he dances when he scores a goal”.
Evra Recalls His Own Experience with Suárez
Evra also recalled being racially abused by Luis Suárez, which resulted in an eight-game suspension for the then-Liverpool player and a fine of £40,000. He spoke about the internal conflict he felt at the time.
“It was hard, because the ‘angel’ [hypothetical on your shoulder] says: ‘Patrice, don’t do anything because this is one of the biggest games in the world’, but then you have that ‘demon’ saying: ‘Punch him in the face’. If you hit him, you will be the villain and set a bad example. So you have to contain yourself,” Evra explained.
He continued, “I was very proud not to have reacted. When I defended my case, I said: ‘I don’t know Luis Suárez well enough to call him a racist’. I just said: ‘At that moment, he used some racist words’. I won the case. But when I played against Suárez in the Champions League final, for Juventus against Barcelona, I shook his hand”.
Prestianni’s Defence
Prestianni alleges that he did not racially insult Vinícius.
Evra highlighted the tendency for those accused of racism to portray themselves as victims. He feels that when these things happen, you feel injustice.