‘It’s disgusting’ – Jude Bellingham calls for more to be done to tackle racism after Vinicius Jr broke down in tears at abuse

Jude Bellingham has called racism in Spanish football a “major problem”, publicly calling on football authorities to act.

The England superstar saw his Real Madrid teammates Vinicius Jr and Aurélien Tchouameni be the target of disgusting abuse.

French midfielder Tchouameni was targeted by Mallorca fans after his stunning goal in Los Blancos’ 1-0 win on Saturday.

Brazilian Vinicius Jr – a frequent victim of racist abuse – was reduced to tears when asked about the impact the abuse left on him last month.

Speaking at Madrid’s pre-match press conference for the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City, live on talkSPORT 2, Bellingham expressed his doubts that the players will be better protected.

Regarding the abuse suffered by Tchouameni, Bellingham admitted: “It’s crazy that you say that. I didn’t know. In matches, you get used to it.

“I wasn’t even aware of the incident. It’s a huge problem, more needs to be done. It’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a match, knowing he’s going to be victimized. racist abuse.

“It’s disgusting, people in the game need to do more. Vini is getting attention, players like him would miss the game if he decided to take a break from the game. More needs to be done.

“No one deserves this, so this is a call out to those who run the game. I doubt it will happen.

“You have to play your game and hope that people will take care of you – they’re not doing that well enough at the moment.”

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Last season, Vinicius Jr stopped playing to denounce Valencia supporters at the Mestella who were racially insulting him from the stands.

It was one of ten such incidents against the 23-year-old reported to prosecutors by LaLiga.

The Brazil international admitted during his emotional recent press conference that he wanted to play “less and less” because of the abuse.

As for Tchouameni, Mallorca have confirmed they are working with police to investigate an alleged racist gesture made against him during his goal celebration last weekend.

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“During yesterday’s match between RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid, images were identified in which a person made racist gestures,” Mallorca said in a statement on Sunday.

“The club has activated the protocol against violence in football and is working with the National Police to identify this person.”