Picture Credit: Twitter
Despite so many measures and strict actions being taken, racial abuses against footballers are not taking a backseat. Another incident of racism took place on Tuesday during a friendly match between Brazil and Tunisia at the Parc des Princes. This time the target was Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison.
After the Brazilian scored a goal, his team’s second and ran towards the corner flag to celebrate, a banana was thrown at him that landed right near his foot. Footage showed Manchester United midfielder Fred kicking the fruit away. Other objects were also thrown on to the pitch. Although Richarlison did not notice at that time, he realized what happened and hence has demanded action against the culprit.
Translated from Portuguese, Richarlison posted on Twitter: “As long as they stay ‘blah blah blah’ and don’t punish, it’s going to continue like this, happening every day and everywhere. No time bro!”
It’s worth mentioning that before the game, Brazil players posed for photographs with an anti-racism banner which read: “Without our black players, we wouldn’t have stars on our shirts.”
After many criticized the mishap, the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) issued a statement on the Richarlison incident via Twitter. It read: “Unfortunately a banana was thrown on the pitch towards Richarlison, scorer of the second Brazilian goal. The CBF reinforces its position to combat racism and repudiates any manifestation of prejudice.”
The CBF President, Ednaldo Rodrigues, added: “Once again, I come publicly to express my rejection. This time I saw it with my own eyes. This shocks us. We must always remember that we are all the same, regardless of colour, race or religion. The fight against racism is not a cause, but a fundamental [battle for] change to wipe this type of crime from the planet. I insist on saying that the punishments need to be more severe.”
Coming to the game, the five-time world champions registered an emphatic victory as they beat Tunisia 5-1. Neymar, Raphinha (2), Richarlison, and Pedro scored for Brazil while Montassar Talbi scored the lone goal for Tunisia.