Real Madrid forced to delete tweet containing a racist handle as an initiative to tag fans in the video of Vinicius Jnr’s Champions League winning goal vs Liverpool backfires
Real Madrid quickly deleted a tweet containing a racist handle 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 the handles of certain supporters in a personalized post dedicated to Vinicius’ famous strike against Liverpool, which sealed a 1-0 victory in Paris and crowned them European champions for a record-extending 14th time.
However, it appears the tweets were published using an automatic algorithm designed to pick out fans who had liked a specific post. This was a move the Spanish club was quickly left to rue when one user with racist language in his handle liked the necessary tweet.
Madrid, therefore, posted the clip of Vinicius’ goal with the handle @N****Killer88 included, before appearing to take it down roughly 10 minutes later.
The tweet also contained the date of last season’s Champions League final, the term ‘La Decimocuarta’ – translated in English as ‘The Fourteenth – followed by a Spanish translation of ‘Vini’s winning goal’.
It then ended with a plug for Madrid’s new app, branded as ‘RMPlay’.
Fans quickly spotted their inexplicable error, with hundreds expressing disbelief in the replies section.
The offensive post was quickly taken down. But Madrid still appears to be publishing clips of Vinicius’ goal and tagging fan accounts.
Another blunder saw a user named ‘ElonOut’ – a reference to Twitter’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk – tagged in the tweet.
Madrid’s gaffe comes on the back of the campaign which saw Vinicius subjected to alleged racist abuse from supporters on eight separate occasions.
One of those incidents came as recently as last month when the Brazilian star was the victim of abuse during a match at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium.
Seven people involved in racist attacks against Vinicius were sanctioned by Spanish authorities at the start of the month.
‘It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third,’ Vinicius wrote on social media after the latest abuse in Valencia.
‘Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it’s normal, the federation does too and the opponents encourage it.
‘I’m so sorry. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano, and Messi, today belongs to racists. A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which has agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world.
‘I’m sorry for the Spaniards who don’t agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. And unfortunately, with everything that happens each week, I can’t defend it. I agree. But I am strong and I will go to the end against the racists. Even if it’s far from here.’