Soccer-Valencia sponsor Puma offers support to Vinicius after racist incidents

Microsoft, which first partnered with LaLiga in 2016, and EA Sports, who will take over as LaLiga's title sponsor from the 2023-24 season, also did not respond to requests for comment. Spanish police detained seven men on Tuesday over separate alleged racist incidents against Vinicius, a day after the country's football federation chief Luis Rubiales said Spanish soccer had a racism problem, echoing criticism by Brazil after Real Madrid lodged a race crime complaint.

Valencia's sponsor Puma offered its support on Tuesday to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr after he was racially abused during their LaLiga match in Spain over the weekend.

Vinicius labelled LaLiga and Spain racist after receiving racial slurs from fans in Sunday's game at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium. The Brazil forward pointed out the fans who were insulting him, leading to the match being paused for 10 minutes, and then got into an altercation with Valencia's players which led to him being sent off in the second half. Real lost the game 1-0.

"At PUMA, we do not tolerate racism, we condemn discrimination in any form and stand in solidarity with Vinicius Junior and the wider football community in condemning events yesterday," Puma, which sponsors both Valencia and LaLiga, said in a statement to Reuters. Valencia's other sponsors Coca Cola, Skoda, Cazoo and Caixabank did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Spanish bank Santander, whose title sponsorship with LaLiga ends after this season, also voiced support, saying it "strongly rejects all racism and discrimination" in any form. Microsoft, which first partnered with LaLiga in 2016, and EA Sports, who will take over as LaLiga's title sponsor from the 2023-24 season, also did not respond to requests for comment.

Spanish police detained seven men on Tuesday over separate alleged racist incidents against Vinicius, a day after the country's football federation chief Luis Rubiales said Spanish soccer had a racism problem, echoing criticism by Brazil after Real Madrid lodged a race crime complaint. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed support for Vinicius and urged authorities to take more effective action against racism and hate speech in soccer, saying the current protocols in place were obsolete.

The LaLiga premier soccer league is under pressure to do more to combat racism after the Brazilian president, FIFA and fellow sporting stars such as France forward Kylian Mbappe, Rio Ferdinand and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton voiced support for Vinicius.