Daily Archives: February 19, 2026

The shocking scale of the racist abuse suffered by Vinicius Jr.

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La Liga has reacted to 26 instances of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior
“Yet another allegation of racist abuse towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior brought a dreadful sense of deja vu in Tuesday’s Champions League game at Benfica. The play-off round first leg at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was halted for around 10 minutes, not long after the Brazil forward opened the scoring early in the second half with a spectacular strike. The 25-year-old’s goal celebration, where he danced by the corner flag, was followed by a confrontation with Benfica players, including their winger Gianluca Prestianni. After an exchange of words between the pair, during which Prestianni used his shirt to cover his mouth as he spoke, Vinicius Jr told referee Francois Letexier he had been racially insulted. Prestianni has since denied this. Letexier activated the anti-racism protocol, and it appeared at one point that the game might not continue. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Jose Mourinho sank to a new low with absurd and offensive claims about Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Jr cuts a lonely, weary figure on another ugly night for football “… Vinicius Jr had settled the first leg of this Champions League play-off in Lisbon with a wonderful goal, but the beauty of that moment was forgotten in the ugliness that followed: first the deluge of missiles that rained down as he celebrated in front of Benfica’s supporters; then his allegation of racial abuse by an opposition player, which led the referee to suspend play for 10 minutes; then the loud boos and jeers that were aimed at him from the home crowd for the remainder of Madrid’s 1-0 victory; then the claims and counter claims in the bitter aftermath, in which Benfica coach Jose Mourinho effectively accused him of inciting the incident. …”
NY Times/The Athletic: Vinicius Jr cuts a lonely, weary figure… (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Vinicius Jr racism allegations: The protocols, what happens now and possible punishments (Video)
BBC – Vinicius: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse (Video)

Jose Mourinho speaks to Vinicius Junior after the incident in which the Madrid forward alleges he was racially abused by a Benfica player

Are referees and broadcasters converging in a strange, new way?

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Referees now announce VAR decisions to stadium crowds and the television audience 
“Back in the day, there was a common saying about football referees: a good ref is never noticed. Referees generally disliked this interpretation. Their understandable counter-argument was that, if they officiated on a match that featured a two-footed, studs-up tackle, and a couple of clear fouls inside the penalty area, they would be noticed simply by doing their job correctly. These days, you barely hear the phrase. Nobody pretends the referee can fade into the background, and it’s not solely because of the increased scrutiny of their decisions. It’s because refs are no longer there to simply referee. Instead, they’re increasingly a fundamental part of broadcasting the game, too. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox (Video)