Ferdinand BLASTS Spain's football authorities for 'seeming to accept' racism

Rio Ferdinand has called on Spain's football authorities to do more to combat racism in a heartfelt message of support for Vinicius Jr after he break down in tears when questioned on the abuse he has suffered.

The Real Madrid winger was overcome with emotion during a press conference ahead of Brazil's friendly against Spain on Tuesday night.

Last May the player was racially abused by supporters at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium and the club gave life bans to three of its fans.

La Liga has reported various incidents of racist abuse aimed at black players in Spain but they have no jurisdiction to take action against clubs or individuals and no one has yet been successfully prosecuted for racist chanting in stadiums.

Vinicius has also been targeted away from stadiums. Prosecutors have requested four-year prison sentences for individuals arrested last year for hanging an effigy of the player off a bridge in Madrid before a Spanish cup clash with city rivals Atletico.

In his social media post, Ferdinand referenced comments by Vinicius' Madrid team-mate Dani Carvajal, who insisted that Spain was not a racist country.

The former Manchester United defender also called out LaLiga president Javier Tebas, for his statements following the abuse the Brazil winger suffered last season, and urged those in power to do more.

'Is Spain a racist country???' He began on X, formerly Twitter. 'I don’t know as I don’t live there to know or see that experience. But I know there is RACISM in the stadiums there & it seems to be accepted by the authorities for some reason???

'To see a young man break down in a press conference like [Vinicius Jr] is heartbreaking to see.

'Hearing Javier Tebas (LaLiga President) sh*t last season tells me there needs to be BIG