Richarlison was celebrating his goal against Tunisia when the incident happened
The striker had just restored his team’s lead when he was targeted. © Antonio Borga / Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images
Brazilian football star Richarlison has called on the French authorities to act after a banana was hurled in his direction during a match against Tunisia at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Tuesday.
Richarlison was celebrating his goal in the 19th minute of the international friendly, being joined by teammates as several objects were tossed onto the pitch by enraged rival fans.
When Richarlison turned to gesture to the crowd, the banana was thrown in his direction, landing near his feet.
The forward’s strike had put his team 2-1 ahead after Tunisia’s Montassar Talbi had equalized one minute earlier.
The Brazilians went on to wrap up a 5-1 win, aided in part by a red card to Tunisian defender Dylan Bronn just before half-time.
But the scenes with Richarlison overshadowed the result, with widespread accusations of racism towards the Brazilian star.
“I was talking about this with Roberto [Firmino], saying that I think that God did not allow me to see that because I don’t know what I could have done in the heat of the moment,” the 25-year-old said afterwards, according to Goal.com.
“May this fan be identified and punished,” added the Tottenham Hotspur striker.
The row comes after Richarlison’s Brazil teammate Vinicius Jr was at the center of a racism storm in Spain, where he plays for Real Madrid.
A group of rival fans at Atletico Madrid were heard chanting “Vinicius is a monkey” before a derby match earlier this month, after a pundit had claimed the winger should stop dancing during his goal celebrations.
“It’s hard. You see what happened with Vinicius Jr recently and now this, inside a stadium,” added Richarlison on Tuesday night.
“May the authorities find and punish him. May this incident teach other people not to do it.”
Brazil’s win in Paris continued their fine form leading up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where they will be considered among the favorites for the title.
Barcelona winger Raphinha struck twice against Tunisia, underlining the array of attacking talent at manager Tite’s disposal.
Neymar struck a first-half penalty which took his overall international tally to 75 goals – only two behind Pele’s all-time record tally for the Selecao.
Brazil head to the World Cup on a 15-match unbeaten run, and have been drawn in a group in Qatar alongside Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
