Raphinha raises his voice against racism

Things did not go well for Barça in their visit to the José Zorrilla stadium against Valladolid, going down to a 3-1 defeat in La Liga. However, the game did see the blaugranes show their rejection of racism, in particular in the world of football. 

Raphinha and Barça, facing up to racism

The most striking anti-racism image came from Brazilian Raphinha. At the moment the winger left the field as he was substituted in the second half, he took off his jersey to reveal a message on his vest underneath: "Whilst the colour of skin is more important than the colour of eyes, there will be war," it said on the front with the words "TMJ Vini", signifying "We are together, Vini" in Portuguese, referring to his fellow Brazilian Vinicius Jr, the Real Madrid player, who suffered racist abuse in Mestalla against Valencia last Sunday. Raphinha's international team mate thanked the blaugrana for his support on social media. 

After the game Raphinha explained the reasons behind the message: "Nothing ever changes and some important people need to take action in the matter. It happens in every game and we have to change things and those in charge have to change." 

Before the game the Barça and Valladolid players were photographed behind a large banner that read, "Racists, out of football."