The chants of “monkey!” at the Spanish soccer stadium echoed across the Atlantic, reaching the ears of people on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. That's where Vinícius Júnior, who is Black, grew up and launched his soccer career. Now, despite his global fame and millions, he was again the target of crude European racism. His city in multiracial Brazil was sickened, and has rallied to his defense. In Sao Goncalo, rapper Deivisson Oliveira was eating breakfast when the TV news showed the abuse aimed at his hometown hero. “I needed to cry out," said Oliveira, 30, who raps under the name MC Menor do CPX. Oliveira typed lyrics on his phone with his 6-month-old son at his feet. Powerful verses surged through his thumbs: "From the favela to the world: Strength, Vinícius Júnior!" Racism in the Spanish league has intensified this season, especially after Vinícius started celebrating goals by dancing. On at least nine occasions, people have made monkey sounds at Vinícius, chanted the slur “monkey!” and hurled other racist slurs. Vinícius has repeatedly demanded action from Spanish soccer authorities. Vinícius’ 2017 move to Real Madrid was the culmination of years of effort. One of the most popular clubs in global soccer paid 45 million euros (about $50 million) — at the time the most ever for a Brazilian teenager — even before his professional debut with Rio-based Flamengo. Relentless racism wasn’t part of Vinícius’ dream when he was growing up in Sao Goncalo. Sao Goncalo is the second-most populous city in Rio’s metropolitan region, and one of the poorest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, according to the national statistics institute. At night in some areas, motorists turn on their hazard lights to signal to drug-trafficking gangs that the driver is local. It is also where the 2020 police killing of a 14-year-old sparked Black Lives Matter protests across Rio. Racism has once again fanned outrage. Rio’s imposing, illuminated Christ the Redeemer statue was made dark one night in solidarity. The city’s enormous bayside Ferris wheel this week exhibits a clenched Black fist and the scrolling words: “EVERYONE AGAINST RACISM.” “My total repudiation of the episode of racism suffered by our ace and the pride of all of us in Sao Goncalo,” the city's mayor, Nelson Ruas dos Santos, wrote on Twitter the morning after the incident. Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes was less diplomatic when responding to a defense issued by the Spanish soccer league’s president. “Go to hell, son of a...” Paes wrote. On Thursday, Spanish league president Javier Tebas held a news conference claiming that the league has been acting alone against racism, and that it could end it in six months if granted more power by the government. At the same time in Rio, representatives of more than 150 activist groups and nonprofits delivered a letter to Spain’s consulate, demanding an investigation into the league and its president. They organized a protest that evening. “Vinicius has been a warrior, he’s being a warrior, for enduring this since he arrived in Spain and always taking a stand," activist Valda Neves said. “This time, he’s not alone.” The first Black Brazilian players to sign for European clubs in the 1960s met some racism in the largely white society, but rarely spoke out. At the time when Brazil still considered itself a “racial democracy,” and did not take on the racism that many faced. In the late 1980s, the federal government made racial discrimination a crime and created a foundation to promote Afro-Brazilian culture. At the time, many Brazilian players who might identify as Black today did not recognize themselves as such. Incidents of racism in Europe prompted little blowback in Brazil. In the decades since, Brazil’s Black activists have gained prominence and promoted awareness of structural racism. The federal government instituted policies aimed at addressing it, including affirmative-action admissions for public universities and jobs. There has been heightened consciousness throughout society. In 2014, a fan hurled a banana at defender Dani Alves during a Spanish league match; he picked it up and ate it in a show of defiance, triggering a coordinated social media campaign with other Brazilian players, including star forward Neymar, who did the same. Vinícius’ own educational nonprofit this week launched a program to train public school teachers to raise awareness about racism and instruct kids in fighting discrimination. A teacher at a Sao Goncalo school that will host the project, Mariana Alves, hopes it will provide kids much-needed support and preparation. She spoke in a classroom with soccer-ball beanbag chairs strewn about, and enormous photos of Vinícius on the walls. Most of the school’s students are Black or biracial, and many have experienced racism, Alves said in an interview. This week, her 10-year-old students have been asking if she saw what happened to Vinícius because they don’t fully understand. “He has money, he has all this status, and not even that stopped him from going through this situation of racism,” said Alves, who is Black and from Sao Goncalo. “So the students wonder ... ‘Will I go through that, too? Is that going to happen to me?’” As a boy, Vinícius started training at a nearby feeder school for Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, before signing with its youth team. Sao Goncalo kids there were a blur Wednesday afternoon as they ran non-stop drills, leaving them without time or breath to discuss their idol’s troubles on another continent. Still, they knew. One of them, Ryan Gonçalves Negri, said he has talked about it with his friends outside the soccer school, and that Vinícius should transfer out of the Spanish league “urgently.” “I would never want to play there," Negri, 13, said. “It's not for Brazilians who know how to score goals and celebrate.” While the kids practiced, the rapper Oliveira and his producer Éverton Ramos, known as DJ Cabide, stepped onto the turf and made their way to the corner. They set up a speaker beneath a banner of Vinícius as a brash teenager with his tongue extended, then started recording a clip for their protest song’s music video. “I’m no one, but my voice can reach where I can’t go, where I can’t imagine going,” Oliveira said. “My voice will get there, you understand?” ___ Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese contributed from Sao Paulo ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Spanish court opens investigation into racist abuse targeting Vinícius Júnior Spain takes action against racism after Vinícius case but punishing fans remains a challenge Roma striker Tammy Abraham on racism in soccer: 'These things hurt people'

UEFA estimates a global audience of 450 million viewers will watch at least some part of the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan

Jordan Henderson insists he will not walk away from international football despite being booed off the Wembley pitch by England fans on Friday night. Eyebrows were raised when Henderson swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal. The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s double-header against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different when he captained England in their first home match since his controversial move. There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before the 1-0 friendly win against Australia but a vocal minority very audibly jeered when he was replaced in the second half. “It’s not nice, your own fans (booing),” he said. “Everybody has got their own opinion. I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here. “I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country. “To lead the team out meant an awful lot to me and my family. Another special night and we got the win which is the most important thing. “But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it’s always been positive stuff and nice things said. “It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.” England manager Gareth Southgate questioned those supporters who decided to boo his vice-captain, with Henderson admitting he was also unsure why – even if he accepted he would face criticism for his move to Saudi. Asked if he understood the jeers, the 33-year-old replied: “Not really. I don’t know… if people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine. “Like I said, everyone is going to have an opinion over when I’m playing over in Saudi. “I’ve spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe us or not is up to them. “Of course it’s disappointing, but it won’t change what I do here. I want to keep playing and keep fighting and help the team become successful. “I haven’t been surprised by that because I can understand the reasons in what they’re saying. I look at it from a different point of view, obviously. “But I can understand it and I’ve got to take that on the chin.” Asked about Southgate’s public support and continued selection, the former Sunderland youngster added: “Yes, the gaffer has been really good as always. It's nice to know that you've got the backing of the manager and your team-mates Jordan Henderson “I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads. “It’s nice to know that you’ve got the backing of the manager and your team-mates but that’s never been in doubt for me. That’s always been the case.” Henderson may have switched Merseyside for the Middle East but he feels enough at home to have already backed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The country abandoned a 2030 joint-bid with Greece and Egypt and announced their solo pitch on October 4 – with Henderson involved in the promotional video. “By that time I think they will put on a pretty good World Cup, to be honest,” Henderson said about taking part in the bid. “So I think that’s exciting times for them as a country and I think it will be a special tournament if they ended up getting it. “I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that. “It is a long waiting time from now, but I think they’ll enjoy the experience there. “When we look at Qatar, the way that they did the job there, it was a good tournament; I think the fans enjoyed the tournament and I think Saudi would be no different.” Read More Wales defeat Croatia to boost Euro 2024 qualification hopes Steve Borthwick hails ‘written off’ England after reaching World Cup semi-final Stephen Kenny puts speculation to one side for Gibraltar clash Jos Buttler tells England to ‘let it hurt’ after World Cup loss to Afghanistan Baltimore boss John Harbaugh thrilled to end ‘heck of a week’ in London on high Talking Points as Republic of Ireland seek win against minnows Gibraltar

Riley Reid is one of the world’s most successful porn stars and lives in a $4.8 million mansion, yet she wouldn’t recommend her career to others. In an emotional YouTube video, the 31-year-old (real name Ashley Mathews), admitted that her job had destroyed her relationship with her family and caused a range of issues in her personal life. “A lot of times when people ask me if they should do porn, I tell them no, I tell them that it makes life really hard, it makes dating really hard, it makes your family life really hard, it makes intimacy hard,” she says in the 2020 clip which has recently resurfaced on Twitter. “If you're putting yourself out there and the world is now judging you, you have to be OK with being shamed every day of your life.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Mathews, went on to say that the abuse she suffered had even put her off starting a family of her own. “I don't even want to have children because I do porn, because I'm worried [about] the way that people will treat my child,” she explained. She then acknowledged that her mother had been supportive at the start of her career – “She kind of just let me do whatever” – but things soon turned sour. “When I started to set these boundaries, not giving her money or things like that - it made our relationship a bit more difficult and almost toxic and so it sucks. “I don't have a mum anymore, I don't talk to her, I miss having a mum. I feel like you can't rewind and you can't go back. I don't have that relationship with her anymore. I don't ever think I will and that bums me out. It bums me out a lot.” Mathews said her career had also driven a wedge between her “religious” father and her. “Recently I wanted to go visit him and he said that I can't go visit because his wife - my stepmum - does not want me there,” she said. “I'm not allowed to go visit my dad anymore because my stepmum doesn't like that I do porn.” But, she continued: “When I was like well can we go get coffee or breakfast, he was like 'I don't want to be seen in public with you' and that just f***ing hurt so bad and it sucks.” Wiping back tears, she concluded: “I’ve lost my family, I don't talk to my brothers or my sisters. I think that they all kind of tried to take advantage of me and stuff or they're just like my dad – don't want to be around me.” And yet, despite her reservations about having children, Mathews and her husband Pasha Petkuns became parents to a baby girl in November last year. The 31-year-old’ is loving motherhood, if the heart-warming photos she’s posted to Instagram are anything to go by. However, understandably, she’s not loving the backlash her defenceless child has received. “The amount of people who leave mean comments about my baby is crazy to me,” she said in a video posted earlier this month. “Grow up. Stop being mean to a baby.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

ANKARA, Turkiye--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 23, 2023--

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