Real Madrid forced to remove racist-handled tweet as initiative to tag fans in video of Vinicius Jnr’s Champions League winning goal against Liverpool in 2022 backfires
- Madrid appeared to automatically publish tweets including fan handles
- But the move backfired dramatically when they posted an offensive account
- The Spanish club seemingly deleted the tweet within 10 minutes
Real Madrid swiftly deleted a racist-handled tweet on Wednesday after an initiative to automatically tag fan accounts in a video of Vinicius Jnr’s Champions League winning goal last season backfired dramatically.
In a bid to promote their new app, Madrid pledged to tag certain supporters’ handles in a personalized post dedicated to Vinicius’ famous strike against Liverpool that sealed a 1-0 win in Paris and crowned them European champions for a record-extending period of time. 14th time.
However, it appears that the tweets were published using an automatic algorithm designed to select fans who liked a particular post – a move the Spanish club was quick to regret when a user with racist language in his hand had the necessary liked tweet.
Madrid therefore posted the clip of Vinicius’ goal with the handle @N****Killer88 before appearing to take it down about 10 minutes later.
The tweet also included the date of last season’s Champions League final, the phrase ‘La Decimocuarta’ – translated into English as ‘The Fourth’ – followed by a Spanish translation of ‘Vini’s winning goal’.
Real Madrid were forced to delete a tweet dedicated to Vinicius Jnr’s winning goal last season in the Champions League (pictured), which also contained a racist handle
Madrid posted a personalized tweet containing offensive language in the fan’s handle
It then ended with a plug for Madrid’s new app, branded as ‘RMPlay’.
Fans quickly saw their inexplicable mistake, with hundreds expressing disbelief in the answers section.
The attacking post was quickly removed, but Madrid still appear to be publishing clips of Vinicius’ goal and tagging fan accounts.
Another gaffe saw a user named “ElonOut” — a reference to Twitter’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk — tagged in the tweet.
Madrid’s gaffe stems from a campaign in which Vinicius was subjected to alleged racist abuse by supporters on eight occasions.
One such incident occurred last month, when the Brazilian star was assaulted during a match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
Seven people involved in racist attacks against Vinicius were penalized by Spanish authorities early this month.
“It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third,” Vinicius wrote on social media after the latest assault in Valencia.
Their blunder comes on the back of a season in which Vinicius was subjected to a series of racist attacks from fans, another of which came last month in Valencia.
Racism is normal in LaLiga. The competition thinks it’s normal, the association too and the opponents encourage it.
‘I’m very sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi, today belongs to racists. A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which has agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world.
“I’m sorry for those Spaniards who disagree, but today Spain is known in Brazil as a country of racists. And unfortunately, with everything happening every week, I can’t defend it. I agree with that. But I am strong and I will go to the end against the racists. Even if it’s far from here.’