Lights switched off on Christ the Redeemer statue in support of Vinicius Jr

The Real Madrid player was racially abused during a club match in Spain on Sunday

The Christ the Redeemer statue is seen without illumination to condemn racist acts against Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior in Rio de Janeiro (AFP via Getty Images)

The lights were switched off on Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue for an hour on Monday night in support of Brazillian footballer Vinicius Junior who was racially abused.

The lights were turned off at 6pm local time on Monday night after the Real Madrid player was racially abused during a club match in Spain the day before.

The Brazilian was sent off in stoppage time of Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday after a clash with Hugo Duro.

The game had earlier been briefly halted after Mr Junior pointed out a number of supporters who had directed racial abuse at him.

The monument was lit up by the Archdiocesan Sanctuary in cooperation with the Brazilian FA and the Observatory of Racial Discrimination in Football, “as a symbol of the collective fight against racism.”

“The Christ the Redeemer Archdiocesan Sanctuary repudiates the racist attacks suffered by the Brazilian player Vinicius Junior,” the body said in an Instagram post.

“The lighting of the monument will be switched off as a symbol of the collective fight against racism and in solidarity with the player and all those who suffer prejudice around the world.”

VINICIUS JUNIOR (AP)

Mr Junior, 22, expressed his gratitude for the support he had received, posting a picture of the statue silhouetted against the moon on Twitter.

“Black and imposing. Christ the Redeemer was like this just now. An action of solidarity that moved me. But I want, above all, to inspire and bring more light to our struggle,” he wrote.

The Brazilian government urged Spanish and sports authorities to punish those responsible for the “racist attacks” against the player.

The president of soccer’s governing body FIFA Gianni Infantino, as well as other players including Rio Ferdinand, have expressed their support for the Real Madrid player.

Spanish Football Federation head Luis Rubiales admitted there was a real problem of racism in the country’s football where “press releases don’t work anymore”.