Rodrygo slams Barcelona's Camps after he called Vinicius Jr a 'clown'

Real Madrid forward Rodrygo has criticised Barcelona representative Mikel Camps after he claimed Vinicius Jr was not a victim of racism against Sevilla.

Rodrygo said that Camps, the Barcelona board's deputy spokesperson, was 'ugly' and 'pathetic' after his now-deleted tweet labelled Vinicius Jr a 'clown'.

Sevilla ejected a fan and have now banned them for life after Vinicius Jr was subjected to yet more racist abuse in La Liga on Saturday.

Speaking to El Chiringuito TV about Camps's tweet, Rodrygo said: 'I don't know if I can speak, they always encourage us not to speak, but it's pathetic. There's not much to say, very ugly.'

Camps had written: 'It's not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown. What do these unnecessary and meaningless stepovers represent in the center of the field?'

It now forms a backdrop to the El Clasico on Saturday, when Barcelona will host their arch-rivals with just a point separating them.

Sevilla expelled a spectator and filed a complaint with police after what they called 'xenophobic and racist behaviour during the club's 1-1 draw with Madrid on Saturday.

In the statement, the club did not specify what the behaviour was or identify the target.

Footage appeared to capture a man, and a young fan in separate incidences, making a racist 'monkey' gesture towards the player following a confrontation with Sevilla players in the 86th minute at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Vinicius Jr commended the Europa League winners for their quick response to the incident.

He wrote: 'Congratulations to Sevilla on the quick positioning and penalty in another sad episode for Spanish football.'

'Unfortunately I have access to a video of another racist at this Saturday's game, this time carried out by a child. So sad there is no one to educate her. I invest a lot in education in Brazil to train citizens with different attitudes.

'The face of today's racist is stamped on websites as like several other times. I hope Spanish authorities do their part and change legislation for once. These people need to be criminally punished too.

'It would be a great first step to prepare for 2030 World Cup. I am here to help. Sorry to sound repetitive, but it's episode number 10. And counting…'

Vinicius Jr referred to the incident as episode number 10 because he has unfortunately faced racial abuse many times.

Last season, Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia fans in the form of monkey gestures and chants, leading to an eventual punishment of partial stadium closure for three matches and a fine of (£23,500).

And four people were arrested in Spain in May under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January.

Those are just a couple of examples of the endless harrassment Vinicius Jr has experienced because of the colour of his skin.