Racists are cowards – Vinicius Junior responds after alleged abuse at Benfica

Vinicius Junior has responded to alleged abuse during Real Madrid’s Champions League win over Benfica by saying “racists are cowards”.

The 25-year-old left the field in Lisbon after reporting a member of the Benfica team – whom the Spanish side later claimed to have been winger Gianluca Prestianni – to the referee.

The match was paused in line with UEFA regulations, resulting in a stoppage in play that lasted 10 minutes, with Vinicius going on to complete the full game in Real’s 1-0 win.

Vinicius hit out at the implementation of UEFA’s protocol put in place to tackle such incidents, while the governing body confirmed it is reviewing reports from Tuesday’s matches.

The flash-point came after the Brazil forward had given his team the lead with a wonderful individual strike five minutes into the second half.

After celebrating in front of the home fans, he became visibly upset about something said to him and immediately informed the referee.

After the game, Vinicius posted in Portuguese on his Instagram story: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are.

“But they have protection from others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish. Nothing that happened today is new in my life and my family’s.

“I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. Still not understanding why. On the other side, just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.

“I don’t like to appear in situations like this, even more so after a great victory and when the headlines have to be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”

A UEFA spokesman said: “The official reports from the matches played last night are currently being reviewed. Where matters are reported, proceedings