Pepe Reina has urged condemnation of those who racially abused Vinicius Jr during Real Madrid's match against Valencia - but urged the Brazilian to "be more mature in his behaviour".
The weekend match at the Mestalla was paused after the Madrid star was subjected to abuse from sections of the home crowd, with a tannoy announcement warning fans over their behaviour. In the days since, though, Vinicius has been vocal in his response and earned the support of manager Carlo Ancelotti and a number of players from his own and other clubs.
While the likes of Raphael Varane and Casemiro have given the forward their backing, Valencia's former Arsenal star Gabriel Paulista has backed his own team's fans. The defender, who was suspended for the match, posted an image of the home crowd captioned with the quote: "Mestalla, you're the best".
Now it is the turn of Reina, who rejoined LaLiga side Villarreal from Lazio last summer, to give his opinion.
"First and foremost, any racist behaviour must be stopped," Reina told Marca. "Then, I do not believe that there is racism in all the stadiums in Spain or that an entire stadium is racist.
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"Those four, eight or thousand who called Vinicius a 'monkey' must be condemned," he added, while calling for a ban for the offenders and saying. "It's sad that this happens."
However, the former Liverpool goalkeeper also made comments about supposed provocation on the part of Vinicius. Reina's comments come just three months after current Reds manager Jurgen Klopp hit out at suggestions the Real Madrid man brought abuse on himself with provocative behaviour.
What did you make of Reina's reaction? Have your say in the comments section
The treatment of Vinicius Junior has sparked a significant reaction within Spanish football (AFP via Getty Images)"He [Vinicius] is becoming one of the best in the world," Reina continued. "But I think he must also mature in behaviour, in having more respect for his rivals, in understanding some unwritten football values or codes.
"That would improve his performance. It can't be that every game away from home is a war for him."
Reina's comments are in stark contrast to the solidarity shown by some other players in Spain's top flight. Vinicius' international team-mate Raphinha earned a yellow card after lifting his shirt to show a message of support during Barcelona's most recent league game, while another Barca star, Jules Kounde, posted a message of support which indirectly addresses the stance put forward by Reina.
Raphinha showed a message of support for his compatriot (Getty Images)"Discriminatory insults should not be tolerated or justified," Kounde said on Twitter. "To say that a player's behaviour can provoke racist reactions is to shift the debate. We must focus on solutions because the problem is unfortunately recurrent and tarnishes the image of this League.
"This is certainly the fact of a minority but that does not make it more acceptable. Are these people deeply racist or do they act only in order to destabilize? Hard to say. But one thing is certain, words matter and actions have consequences.
"These behaviours are punishable by law. Stadium banning, alone, would be all too easy. What sanctions exist beyond football? Are they actually applied? Are they sufficient?
"Can we imagine more educational and general interest measures? Ignorance is the worst of evils, but it can be cured. I remain convinced that everyone is able to reflect on their past behaviour, to take stock of the harm it has caused and to change for the better."
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