Racist incident overshadows Brazil’s win over Tunisia
Brazilian striker Richarlison scored twice as part of a solid 5-1 over Tunisia in Paris with the victory tainted after a banana was hurled in his direction as he celebrated.
Less than two weeks after Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr was subjected to racist taunts ahead of and during the Madrid derby, the ugly head of racism rears its head again with this time Tottenham and Brazil forward Richarlison being targeted.
The incident occurred at Parc des Princes during the second half of the friendly against Tunisia in Paris where footage clearly shows a banana being thrown at Richarlison as he celebrated his team’s second goal as part of the Selecao’s 5-1 win on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, after the goal, a banana was thrown on the pitch towards Richarlison, scorer of the second Brazilian goal,” a short statement from the Brazilian FA read. “The CBF reinforces its position to combat racism and repudiates any prejudiced manifestation.”
‘Time to act’
This was the second time in two games that Richarlison found the net twice following his brace against Ghana with the banana throwing incident overshadowing any joy the player felt as he shared his feelings via a Twitter post.
“As long as they stay “blah blah blah” and fail to carry out punishments, this will continue, happening every day and everywhere. It’s time to act bro! #racismonão”
The five-time world champions head to Qatar later this year on a 15-match unbeaten streak – winning their last seven – ahead of facing Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G.