The Brazilian national team abandoned their iconic yellow and green shirts and were instead kitted out in an all-black strip in a protest against racism when they played Guinea in a friendly international on Saturday.
The powerful move comes after Brazil’s Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior was repeatedly a target of racist attacks this season.
The match which was won by the Samba boys was played in Barcelona at Espanyol’s 40,000-capacity home where Vinicius, 22, and his Real Madrid teammate Rodrygo lead the forward line for Brazil.
It is the first time in Brazil’s history that they have worn black, except for goalkeepers.
The Brazilian Football Confederation is behind the move accompanied by the slogan of ‘Com racismo nao tem jogo’ (With racism, there is no game).
Brazil triumphed over Guinea with a 4-1 victory, featuring goals by Joelinton, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, and Vinicius Jr. In a powerful statement against racism, the five-time world champions donned an all-black uniform during the first half of the match.
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Joelinton, a midfielder for Newcastle United, scored his first goal for Brazil after 27 minutes. Attacker for Real Madrid Vinicius Jr. scored a late penalty. The Selecao defeated a determined Guinea 4-1 to win for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Goalkeeper Ederson of Manchester City successfully made two saves to stop Guinea’s Jose Kante from scoring from close range before Vinicius Jr., who received horrible racial abuse during previous games in Spain, scored a penalty three minutes from time.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that earlier in the week the Spanish and Brazilian football federations presented their plan for a friendly match at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 to combat racism following global outrage at the abuse of Vinicius Junior.