Real Madrid superstar targeted with racist chants by Atletico fans during their UCL clash | OneFootball

Real Madrid took a big step towards qualifying for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League with their win over RB Salzburg earlier this week.

Their domestic rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also won their respective games and both look well placed to qualify directly for the Round of 16 with top-8 finishes.

While the Catalans prevailed over Benfica, Los Rojiblancos won their game over Bayer Leverkusen at Civitas Metropolitano and the atmosphere on the night had some troubling developments according to COPE.

Vinicius the target

As relayed by the Spanish outlet, the South end of the Madrid-based stadium saw Atletico Madrid fans aim racist chants towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, who was not even playing at the venue on the night.

Clips of the chants have gone viral on social media, sparking outrage over the Brazilian being targeted repeatedly with such retrogressive discrimination. What was more triggering was the fact that the chants included him being called a ‘chimp*****’.

Subjected to another racist attack from Atletico fans. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

The Metropolitano has always remained a hostile environment for Vinicius and there are countless episodes of him facing racial slurs at the venue during Madrid derbies.

While the passion for a derby fixture is understandable, the events that have unfolded at Civitas Metropolitano in recent years including the targeted abuse towards Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius calls for concern.

It remains to be seen how Real Madrid take this case forward and whether UEFA impose any punishment on Atletico Madrid for the same.

There is no room for racism in the beautiful game and such instances of the retrogressive practive must not be left unpunished.

Vinicius has stood as the torchbearer of the anti-racist movement in football and it will be interesting to see if the player issues any statement on the same.