Vinicius Jr: Three people sentenced to eight months in prison for racist abuse, Real Madrid striker

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

2 2 minutes read

Three people have been sentenced to eight months in prison after being found guilty of racist abuse of Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior in May 2023.

Athleticism previously reported that Spanish police had arrested three youths in connection with alleged racist behavior towards Vinicius Jr during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Valencia.

This is the first conviction for racist insults in a football stadium in Spain. The individuals were also banned from entering football stadiums hosting La Liga and RFEF matches for an initial period of three years, reduced to two years for the same procedural reason, and were ordered to take care of legal costs.

La Liga welcomed the verdict, saying it was the first of its kind in Spain.

“This decision is excellent news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it repairs the damage suffered by Vinicius Jr,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas.

“This sends a clear message to those who go to a football stadium to insult: La Liga will detect them, denounce them and there will be criminal consequences for them.

“I understand that there may be some frustration due to the time it takes for these convictions to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country with judicial guarantees.

“In this sense, from La Liga we can only respect the time of justice and demand once again that Spanish legislation evolves so that La Liga has sanctioning powers capable of accelerating the fight against racism.”

Madrid, meanwhile, added in a statement that it would “continue to work to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport.”

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Vinicius Jr, 23, has often been the target of racist insults from opposition supporters, both in stadiums and on social media.

In March 2024, the Brazil international said the racist abuse he suffered was getting worse because the perpetrators went unpunished, as he broke down in tears during an emotional press conference.

Speaking before the friendly match between Spain and Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu, organized “to strengthen the commitment against violence and racism in football”, he said: “Things have gotten worse since the first time I denounced what happened to me.

“Because people aren't punished, they feel like they can continue to say things about the color of my skin to try to influence the way I play. But they could try to do it in other ways, and I wouldn't have a problem with that.

“I just want to play and I want to be able to go to stadiums without anyone bothering me because of the color of my skin.”