June 11 – Three Valencia football fans who racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior have each been jailed for eight months. The individuals were also given a two-year stadium ban from any venue hosting LaLiga matches.
LaLiga described the landmark as ‘great news’. It’s the first time that supporters have been convicted for racist abuse at a football match in Spain according to La Liga.
The three supporters were detained after the match between Real Madrid and Valencia in May 2023. A letter of apology to Vinicius Junior from the defendants was read out during the hearing, said the league, but the defendants were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.
La Liga brought the case before the courts and was joined by the Spanish FA (RFEF), Real Madrid and the players.
“Together with Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid has acted as the private prosecutor in these proceedings and shall continue to work to protect the values of our club and to eradicate any racist behaviour from the world of football and sport,” the Spanish club said.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas said: “This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it goes some way to redressing the disgraceful wrong suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those individuals who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse.
“LaLiga will identify them, report them, and there will be criminal consequences. I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity.
“We at LaLiga can only respect the pace of justice, but once again we demand that Spanish legislation evolves to give LaLiga sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism.”
Vinicius Junior has been racially abused several times at La Liga matches and his ordeal has brought the fight against racism in football into the spotlight. In March, the Brazilian broke down in tears during a news conference as he addressed the racism he suffers in Spain.
He said: “It never crossed my mind [to leave Spain] because if I leave Spain I give the racists exactly what they want. I will stay because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more.
“I’m a bold player, I play for Real Madrid and we win a lot of titles and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”
Posting on X, Vinicius said:
“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football’.
“But, as I have always said, I am not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people.
“May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. If not, I will be here to hold them to account. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1725759377labto1725759377ofdlr1725759377owedi1725759377sni@i1725759377tnuk.1725759377ardni1725759377mas1725759377