Neymar, others eat bananas as show of solidarity with Dani Alves
Players rally around Dani Alves following incident in match Sunday.
By
Evan Hilbert
•
1 min read
On Sunday, Barcelona defender Dani Alves performed a silent show of resistance to racism which has caught the attention of players and fans across the world.
During a match against Villarreal, opposing fans threw a banana onto the field at Alves as he was lining up a corner kick. Alves calmly ate the banana, and now his simple, humorous act has led to a wave of support on social media.
Brazilian teammate Neymar posted a photo eating a banana with his son.
Others joined the cause as well, including Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero and fellow Brazilians Fernandinho and Hulk.
Racism in international soccer has been a systemic problem throughout the years, and players abandoned a game last year due to a rash of racist chants directed at Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng. It has become far too common for opposing fans to taunt non-white players with childish "ape"-like sounds.
Barcelona released a statement after the match, saying, in part, that the club certainly doesn't condone the actions of the Villarreal crowd.
"FC Barcelona wishes to express its complete support and solidarity with our first team player Dani Alves, following the insults he was subject to from a section of the crowd at El Madrigal on Sunday during the game against Villarreal."
According to the Guardian, Alves said after the match that "it has been the same for 11 years," speaking of his time in Spain.
No decision has been made on whether Villarreal will be punished, though the incident was included in the referee's post-match report.
