Barcelona Director In Trouble After Saying Real Madrid Star Vinicius 'Needs To Be Slapped'

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been targeted with racist abuse numerous times in the past several months, but most of that comes from fans of rival teams. Unfortunately, despite protests and a promise from La Liga to impose more severe punishment to offenders in similar cases, the abuse has not stopped. This time, Barcelona director Mikel Camps has found himself in hot water after appearing to imply that the Brazilian star deserves the abuse that he has been receiving.

Vinicius on the receiving end of racism once more

While it happens almost every time Vini Jr. takes to the pitch, the racist abuse against him was thrust into the spotlight towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign during a match against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium.

Protests erupted in Spain and across the globe as outrage spread over videos showing the crowd at the stadium chanting monkey sounds in unison. Vinicius also had a confrontation with someone in the stands after the latter made monkey gestures towards him.

La Liga has since vowed to take action but not much appears to have changed. While playing against Sevilla over the weekend, a similar incident took place at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. Fans in the stands were once again seen making monkey gestures while taunting the Real Madrid forward.

Mikel Camps attacks Vinicius on social media

Vinicius spoke up about the abuse that he and many other players in and out of Spain continue to receive, but he was unexpectedly slammed by the Deputy Spokesperson of Barcelona's Board of Directors, Mikel Camps.

Days after the Sevilla incident, Real Madrid travelled to Portugal to face SC Braga in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Los Blancos maintained a flawless start to their campaign by securing a 2-1 win against Braga, but the Brazilian's performance prompted Camps to make some controversial comments.

Camps took to X (formerly Twitter) to imply that the Brazilian brought it upon himself when he was targeted by racist fans: "It is not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown. What do these unnecessary and meaningless bicycle kicks represent in the centre of the field?"

The Barca executive made the controversial claim that Vinicius deserves the ill treatment from football fans due to his "showboating", which Camps apparently observed while watching the Champions League game on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid, Barcelona officials slam Camps' remarks

As expected, the Real Madrid camp is furious about the statement from the Barcelona director. Club President Florentino Perez has reportedly decided to boycott the upcoming El Clasico, which Barcelona will host at the Olympic Stadium this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Barcelona Vice President Rafa Yuste also admitted that such remarks could not be tolerated even if it came from one of their own. He addressed the comments while speaking to Spanish outlet Cope saying: "Even if it was a mistake (from Camps), it shouldn't have to be done. It's an unfortunate tweet. If you're listening to me Vini, it won't happen again."

It was a rare instance wherein a Barcelona official took the side of a player from a rival club over a member of their own hierarchy. However, there is no other acceptable way to react to such comments.

Meanwhile, manager Xavi Hernandez was also forced to address the issue while speaking to the press after his squad's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk. However, he tried to help Camps save face by saying: "He's already deleted it, hasn't he? That means something."

Xavi went on to say that he would prefer to avoid causing tension between the two clubs especially ahead of such an important match that could play a big role in determining this season's eventual league winners.

"I don't like anything that generates tension, neither the referees pressuring nor this tweet. We must have a Clasico with a lot of fair play, respect and mutual admiration. We've had games against Real Madrid in the past with a lot of tension, and I won't be the one to generate it this time," he said.

There has been no official word from FC Barcelona over Camps' statement, and it remains to be seen if his position will be affected.