Marvin Bartley still scarred by racial abuse as Livingston boss not surprised by Vinicius Jr claim

The Real Madrid star has alledged he was racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni throughout a Champions League conflict

Marvin Bartley was as soon as a sufferer of racial abuse from a fan when he performed for Hibs in opposition to Hearts in an Edinburgh derby.

Now the Livingston supervisor is a part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged case of racial abuse involving considered one of his gamers, Jeremy Bokila, in a match in opposition to Aberdeen earlier within the season.

So Bartley admits he wasn’t surprised to search out the Champions League stricken by the identical drawback when Benfica performed Real Madrid final Tuesday and the Spanish membership’s winger Vinicius Junior claimed he was abused by Gianluca Prestianni.

“The most distressing part of that incident for me is that I know it will happen again somewhere in the world,” Bartley mentioned. “I try to remain emotionally detached because I know it is a societal problem.

“I’m not sad and I’m not angry. I won’t let it affect my everyday life. But it is a sad reflection on all of us that this is still going on.

“I have a care of duty to my player and lawyers are still working on what happened during the game against Aberdeen. I know what it’s like to have that happen.

“I was racially abused on social media and the only way I can describe the aftermath of something like that happening is to say it’s like a cut.

“A cut can heal but sometimes it leaves a scar and you can see that scar whenever you’re reminded of what happened when another case of racial abuse arises.

“The person who abused me actually got in touch with me later on and offered an apology, which is something at least.

“And you can only hope that person learned something from the whole, sorry episode.

“But the frustration persists that, whatever the level of the game, racism is still a part of it.”

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the up-to-the minute breaking information, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland nationwide staff and past.

Tune in to Hotline Live each Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the most important points in Scottish soccer and take heed to Record Sport’s latest podcast, Game On, each Friday on your sporting repair, all in bitesize chunks.

Get extra Daily Record exclusives by signing up without cost to Google’s most popular sources. Click HERE