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FOOTBALL

Niclas Alexandersson misses out for Swedes

Swedish defender Niclas Alexandersson will miss Saturday's Group D meeting with Spain as he has a calf strain, the team camp said Thursday.

Alexandersson, 36 and a veteran of 109 international appearances, suffered the injury in the win over Greece on Tuesday which saw him go off in the closing stages.

The IFK Gothenburg star is now a doubt for the final Group D match with Russia on June 18.

Fredrik Stoor, 24 and with just six caps, is set to deputize against the Spanish.

Sweden have already lost midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson with a thigh strain suffered against the Greeks from their squad.

With the tournament under way players withdrawing through injury cannot now be replaced and teams must make do with what they have.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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