"Vini? I don't buy the 'everyone's against me because they're racist' thing"

Valencia received sanctions for the abuse that Vinicius Jr suffered at the hands of fans. The racist chants have become a topic of discussion on the global stage, and the Madrid player accused Spain of being a racist country.

Pepe Reina believes there's more to the story. "It's a problem of values and education on everyone's parts. To me, I don't get this 'everyone's against me because they're racist'. But I assure you I condemn any kind of xenophobia", he commented to 'Marca'.

"Spain isn't racist, or no more than any country at least, but some fans do have racist attitudes and we have to fight against those. There are idiots everywhere. You need serious punishments, which seems perfect to me, but I don't feel that it's all racism", he added.

The Villarreal player sad it's "sad" that Vinicius had to deal with the insults, but he believes that the abuse, which shouldn't be allowed, doesn't have anything to do with the colour of his skin: "It's not that a fan is racist or not, but that they take it out on someone because they might talk too much at one point.... It has happened to all of us. As a general reflection: the less you provoke the crowd, the less you provoke the opponents and the less you protest against the referee, the more respect you will get from everyone".

Pepe Reina revealed that, in a confrontation with the Madrid player, he advised him to focus on football. "I told him to dedicate himself to the game, to focus on that. He's becoming one of the best in the world, but I think his behaviour needs to mature, he needs to respect opponents more and understand some of the unwritten rules. He can't turn every match into a war", he commented.

"I told Nacho and Carvajal, when we played each other in the Copa del Rey, that Vini's actions have repercussions for the team. If he was my team-mate, I would tell him, as I say it here to the young players who have been misguided at times", he finished. 

 

May 24, 2023