Tebas had said: “There are other interests that seek generate controversy and manipulate young players like Vinicius.”
In a new statement on Wednesday, Javier Tebas acknowledged his comments had been wrong and offered his “most sincere apologies” to Vinicius.
“Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has bravely spoken out against racism, and I regret having used the words that I used yesterday evening implying that he had been ‘manipulated’,” Tebas said. “I recognize my error and offer him my most sincere apologies. Racism has no place in our sport or society and La Liga fully supports the fight against it.”
José Luis Astiazaran, LaLiga president, has taken a moment to address the miscommunication and offer an apology. “In my haste, I failed to communicate effectively and mistakenly caused hurt,” said Astiazaran. “I’d like to extend my sincerest apologies and assure the public that this was never my intention.”
However, the veteran sports writer insists his motivation for addressing the situation is purely to clear the air:
“I had no intention of attacking Vinicius, but simply wanted to explain the facts, as he did post a video in support of LaLiga’s actions.”
Legendary sports reporter Frank Deford described it as, “Real Madrid paid its own powerful tribute to the young Vinicius, beset by racial invective, before the their 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano as their players and fans all rallied around the teenaged Brazilian. With shirts bearing the 19-year-old’s number, prominent banners extolling his strength, and the captains of both teams wearing anti-rascism armbands, the Bernabeu was united in making it clear that racism simply will not stand.”