TA: La Liga Investigating Osasuna Fans' Abuse of Vinícius, with "Die" Chants Allegedly Heard

In a recent round of La Liga matches, Real Madrid fell 2-1 away to Osasuna. This was Vinícius Júnior's first game since the alleged racist incident he faced in the Champions League against Benfica. Following the match, as reported by The Athletic's Real Madrid correspondents, Guillermo Rai and Tomás Hill López-Menchero, La Liga officials confirmed they are investigating alleged improper chants, including shouts of "Vinícius, die," heard during the game.

The match took place at Osasuna's home ground, El Sadar. In the 38th minute, Budimir converted a penalty to give the home side the lead. In the 73rd minute, the 25-year-old Vinícius leveled the score for Madrid, receiving a pass from Valverde and scoring. After his goal, he pointed to the name on the back of his shirt and gestured towards the stands as if to say, "I'm here."

Throughout the match, Vinícius was repeatedly jeered by the home fans. Derogatory chants including "Vinícius, beach ball"—a reference mocking him for missing out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or—and "fool" were heard. La Liga subsequently stated they are investigating a video that appears to show Osasuna fans chanting "Vinicius, muerete" (Vinícius, die). Osasuna has yet to respond to these allegations.

Vinícius has been targeted at this venue before. In 2023, a video emerged of an Osasuna fan racially abusing him at El Sadar. La Liga filed a formal complaint with the Pamplona court, but the case was temporarily shelved in 2024 due to an "inability to identify the perpetrator." According to La Liga's statistics, Vinícius has faced 26 racially motivated incidents since October 2021.

Just days prior, in the first leg of the Champions League playoff away to Benfica, Vinícius was also the subject of alleged racist abuse. He scored in the 50th minute of that match and, during his celebration, indicated to the referee, Letexier, that he had heard inappropriate remarks. The referee then followed the relevant FIFA protocol, crossing his arms, leading to a roughly 10-minute suspension of play before it resumed. Benfica and their player, Prestiani, have denied the allegations, and UEFA is still investigating.

Returning to the league, Vinícius's goal in this match was his first away goal in La Liga since September against Levante, but it couldn't prevent his team's defeat. Madrid currently leads the standings by two points, but if Barcelona beats Levante this round, they will overtake them.

After the match, Madrid's coach, Arbeloa, stated in his press conference: "I hope this defeat doesn't have too big an impact. We have a crucial match in four days. A team's strength is shown in difficult times; we cannot doubt ourselves. I trust my players, and we must maintain high standards over the long term."

He added: "It's going to be a long season. We controlled the first half but lacked speed. Against a packed defense, you have to move the ball faster. We relied too much on the left flank, which makes it easier for the opponent to defend. We have a game on Wednesday, and we must approach it in the best possible way."

Budimir's penalty came after a VAR review. Initially, Courtois was shown a yellow card for a foul on Budimir. After a VAR check, referee Quintero awarded the penalty, which Budimir converted.

Vinícius's equalizer came from a driving assist by Valverde, who was substituted for Gonzalo García just two minutes later. Late in the game, substitute Raúl García scored the winner for Osasuna. Explaining the decision to substitute Valverde, Arbeloa said: "He's been playing through pain in consecutive matches and has felt discomfort in recent weeks. I didn't want to take any risks."

Vinícius was active throughout the game, even showing his skills during the warm-up. This was his fourth consecutive match scoring. His form has improved under Arbeloa's management, following a dip under former coach Alonso. He did receive a yellow card in the 88th minute for protesting to the referee and expressed dissatisfaction with some decisions after the match.

Madrid will host Mourinho's Benfica at the Bernabéu mid-week, marking Mourinho's first return as an opposing coach since his tenure at Madrid from 2010 to 2013. He had previously made controversial remarks suggesting Vinícius's goal celebration had provoked the alleged racist behavior from the opposing player.

Source: The New York Times