A Barcelona star has surprisingly defended Vinicius Junior after a club official lashed out at the Brazil star ahead of ElClasico.
One of Barcelona's board members made an unsavoury post about Vinicius and his racist claims, saying the player "needs a slap".
Read: 3 Reasons Why You Should Care About This ElClasico!
Vice president Yuste did issue an apology for the comments, which included criticising Vinicius' style of play, which some feel may provoke opponents.
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan disagreed with his vice president ahead of Saturday's big clash.
"Someone can interpret Vinicius' actions as a provocation, but for me, honestly, they are not," the Germany midfielder told TV3.
"Evidently, he already knows that if he does these things, he will be whistled. But maybe he likes to be whistled, I don't know...
"Some players experience it as an extra element of motivation. It happens to myself, that when I play away [from home] and they whistle me, I get more motivated.
"We live in a world where there are many ways to do things and as long as it is with respect, everyone should be able to show their emotions."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments
