Brazilian forward Rodrygo said that he faced racial abuse on social media after a heated argument with Argentina's Lionel Messi during their World Cup qualifier. The match in Rio de Janeiro was delayed by 30 minutes due to violent clashes between police and travelling fans as Rodrygo and Messi were seen exchanging words on the field.
He added that he received messages containing monkey and banana emojis following the heated exchange. Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Argentina in Rio de Janeiro was overshadowed by violence, leading to a half-hour delay due to skirmishes between police and travelling fans at the Maracana stadium. Messi was seen in conversation with Brazil captain Marquinhos and exchanging heated words with Rodrygo, who disclosed receiving numerous messages featuring monkey and banana emojis.
"Racists are always on duty. My social networks were invaded with insults and all sorts of nonsense," Rodrygo wrote on Instagram on November 23.
"If we don't do what they want, if we don't behave as they think we should, if we wear something that annoys them, if we don't lower our heads when they attack us if we occupy spaces they think are theirs alone, the racists will act out their criminal behaviour," he added. "Bad luck for them. We won't stop."
Nicolas Otamendi's goal in the 63rd minute proved decisive as it led to Brazil's inaugural home loss in World Cup qualification. This defeat dropped Brazil to the sixth position in the CONMEBOL standings, with only seven points from six games.
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As the teams awaited the start of the game, television footage captured an argument between Brazil striker Rodrygo and Argentina's captain Messi and midfielder Rodrigo de Paul. Brazil forward Vinicius Jr., absent from the Argentina game due to injury, expressed support for his teammate.
While representing Real Madrid in La Liga, Vinicius frequently faced racist taunts from opposing fans. Currently, there is an ongoing criminal investigation into three Valencia fans who allegedly racially insulted him during Madrid's match at Mestalla in May.
This week, Vinicius initiated an anti-racism campaign in Brazil, with messages displayed on billboards across the country before the game against Argentina.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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