Ancelotti Backs Vinicius To Recover From Valencia Red Card
1 year ago 2 min read
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has backed Vinicius Junior to recover from the setback of the incident against Valencia on Friday.
The Brazilian winger pushed goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in the back of the neck amid a clash between the two players and was sent off.
Vinicius was mocked by Valencia fans at their Mestalla stadium during the game, having clashed with some who racially abused him in a match in 2022.
Ancelotti revealed that it is difficult to be in Vinicius shoes following his tough battle with racism in Spain.
He said: “I think it is difficult (to be Vinicius), I’m not in his skin, but I think it’s difficult.
“To bear everything that has happened, the insults, everything, it’s not so simple.
“Obviously he’s sad about the red card, he said sorry and we have to look forwards.”
Vinicius has suffered racial abuse at numerous stadiums in Spain, is also often targeted by fans for his behaviour on the pitch.
Ancelotti believes Vinicius has improved his attitude in reacting to the racial abuse, while revealing that the club will appeal the red card against Valencia.
He said: “What happens in stadiums… I think he has improved his attitude a lot, he can keep improving but nobody is perfect.
“I think he’s done a lot of work on that, and he has improved so much that he is the best player in the world.
“We’re still convinced it was not worth a red card but a yellow, so we hope he is not banned.”
Vinicius is likely to banned after the red card following his violent reaction when he was sent off, it will be decided next week, meaning he is available for Madrid’s Copa del Rey clash against Deportivo Minera on Monday.
Real Madrid will take on Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal on Thursday in Saudi Arabia.
