An FC Barcelona board member has attacked Vinicius Jr online and said that he “deserves a slap”.
A deputy spokesperson for FC Barcelona’s board of directors, Miquel Camps, attacked Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr on social media Tuesday evening but then deleted his tweet.
After a set of rocky performances for club and his country Brazil as of late, the winger returned to top form in the Champions League with a Man of the Match performance against Braga.
Vinicius provided a pair of assists for compatriot Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham in the 2-1 away win, but not everyone approved of a moment in the game where he slowed down play to perform at least 10 scissor stepovers and then try and nutmeg a member of the opposition that had aggressively arrived to try and tackle him.
Obviously affected by the display, Camps took to Twitter to protest: “It’s not racism, he deserves a slap on the wrist for clowning and mocking.”
“What do these unnecessary and meaningless scissors represent in the middle of the field?” Camps also asked.
Not long after uploading his post, Camps swiftly took it down. Outlets such as COPE took screenshots to share the message in their own tweets, however, and both Barca and Camps were criticised by fans of rival clubs.
Camps has a history of such controversies and is known for not mincing his words. On this occasion, they come just three days before an El Clasico meeting between Spain’s two biggest clubs at the Montjuic Stadium which could decide where the La Liga title ends up in late May.
Last weekend, Vinicius Jr took part in a 1-1 draw against Sevilla where he was racially abused by a young supporter in the stands – which probably explains Camps professing that his outburst was not racist.
The stalemate paved the way for Barca to cut Real Madrid’s lead at the summit to just one point, after 17-year-old Marc Guiu came on as a substitute against Athletic Club at the Montjuic Stadium Sunday night and netted the winner in a 1-0 victory.
On Saturday, Vinicius Jr is bound to receive a hostile reception from Culers as will the rest of Carlo Ancelotti’s men in Catalonia.