Rodrigo Brazil racial abuse:
On Thursday night, Brazilian striker Rodrygo revealed that he became the target of racist messages on social media following a dispute with Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi during their World Cup qualifier match on Tuesday.
The defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier in Rio de Janeiro was already a disappointment for the five-time world champions, as reported by Sportstar. However, the event was further marred by violence, with police clashing with visiting fans at the Maracana stadium, leading to a 30-minute delay in the match proceedings.
Messi, who accused local police of brutality, was observed conversing with Brazil captain Marquinhos and exchanging heated words with Rodrygo. The Brazilian forward disclosed receiving numerous messages containing monkey and banana emojis on his social networks.
“Racists are always on duty. My social networks were invaded with insults and all sorts of nonsense,” Rodrygo revealed on his Instagram. He continued, “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 behavior. Bad luck for them. We won’t stop.”
Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, who couldn’t participate in the Argentina game due to injury, expressed support for his teammate. “We will not stop,” he wrote on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
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