Brazil came to the Parc des Princes to show its talent against the Tunisians in a match the Brazilians won by 5-1 which is a crushing defeat for the Africans indeed.
But the highlight of the evening was not the might of the Brazilians but the horrible treatment metered against the Tottenham Hotspur’s striker Richarlison as he ran towards the corner flag to celebrate scoring for his side (the second goal for Brazil).
The incident marred the celebrations as a spectator threw a banana at Richardlison while footage of the incident shows Manchester United midfielder Fred kicking the banana away, while other objects were thrown onto the pitch.
It is not unexpected for fans of some clubs or nations to throw stuff on the pitch but it is not a good thing to target players individually.
Such acts goes against the spirit of sportsmanship and spectators should also participate in the good running of matches.
However, prior to the game, Brazil players posed for photos with an anti-racism banner that read, ‘Without our black players, we wouldn’t have stars on our shirts.’
The Brazilian Football Federation later issued a statement on Twitter condemning Richarlison’s abuse and demanding harsh punishment.
Richarlison’s goal put Brazil back in front after Montassar Talbi equalised Raphinha’s opener. After Tunisia’s Dylan Bronn was sent off, Neymar added a penalty, Raphinha added his second, and Pedro completed the scoring for a big win for Brazil.
Racism and Social Media
According to some media, social media is one of the main sources of bigotry against players.
Last year, after England’s defeat in the final of the EURO 2020 against Italy.
Three English players who missed penalty kicks in the Euro 2020 final were racially abused online.
They were Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Racism is a growing problem both online and in football stadiums.