Trent Alexander-Arnold called the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s Champions League match at Benfica a “disgrace to football.”
The game was stopped for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported abuse to referee Francois Letexier, and Real Madrid players briefly walked off. Vinicius later said on Instagram that “racists are cowards.”
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho suggested Vinicius did not celebrate his goal “in a respectful way,” comments that were criticised by former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who said there is never any excuse for racism.
Alexander-Arnold said the incident overshadowed a great performance and stressed there is “no place” for racism in football or society.
