Spanish soccer fans convicted of racially abusing Vini Jr. – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Three Valencia fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to racist insults against Real Madrid striker Vinícius Júnior, in the first conviction for cases linked to racism in professional football in Spain.

The fans, whose names have not been released, will not be allowed into football stadiums for two years and will have to pay legal costs.

They were arrested after a Spanish league match between Real Madrid and Valencia at the Mestalla stadium in May 2023. The match was briefly stopped after Vinícius was insulted.

The incident sparked a wave of support for Vinícius, who is black, and sparked numerous calls for action from Spanish authorities and society in general.

Many saw it as a turning point in the fight against racism in Spanish football, although Vinícius continued to be the subject of racist insults several months after the initial uproar that accompanied the Mestalla incident.

The sentence declared the defendants guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.

The fans, who were sitting behind one of the Mestalla goals, made monkey gestures and sounds towards Vinícius, who immediately caught the referee's attention and pointed to the fans in the stands. The Brazilian striker had tears in his eyes as fans at the stadium continued to taunt him.

The case was brought to court by the Spanish League, joined by the Spanish Football Federation, Real Madrid and Vinícius.

“With Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid has acted as a private prosecutor in this proceeding and will continue to work to protect the values ​​of our club and to eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport,” the Spanish club said .

Valencia has fully cooperated with investigations and had already banned fans shortly after the incident at its stadium. But no one has ever been tried in Spain for racist abuse against a player, and many cases of similar abuse, like the one Vinícius faced, have been dismissed by prosecutors in the past.

“This decision is excellent news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it goes some way to repairing the shameful harm suffered by Vinícius and sends a clear message to those who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse “, said the president of the Spanish League, Javier. » said Tebas.

“I understand that there may be some frustration about the time it takes for these convictions to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity,” he said. “Once again, we demand that Spanish legislation evolves to give (the Spanish league) sanctioning powers that can accelerate the fight against racism.”

The trial against a fan accused of insulting Athletic Bilbao striker Iñaki Williams during a match in 2020 had not yet taken place.

The trial in Valencia was accelerated after all parties reached an agreement on sentencing. The initial sentence was 12 months in prison and three years of absence from the stadiums, but this sentence was reduced in the agreement between the parties.

The court said the sentence was reduced in part because the three fans showed remorse and read a letter of apology during the hearing. In the letter, supporters also call for the eradication of all forms of racism and intolerance in competitions.