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On Monday 10th May , 2024 , three Valencia football club fans were sentenced to eight months in prison in “the first conviction in Spain for racist abuse at a football match.”
“The three perpetrators were sentenced to 8 months imprisonment, given 2-year bans from entering a stadium, and ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings,” the Spanish LaLiga said in a statement.
LaLiga confirmed that the three individuals had directed racist chants against Real Madrid’s Black Brazilian star Vinicius Junior during a match held on May 21, 2023, at Valencia’s home ground, Mestalla.
A group of fans were clearly heard calling Vinicius Junior a “monkey,” a racist trope used to insult Black people.
“Valencia CF cooperated in the identification of the accused and immediately proceeded to expel them as members of the club,” the Spanish top-flight football division said.
“This ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain, as it redresses the wrong suffered by Vinicius Jr. and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LaLiga will identify them, report them, and there will be criminal consequences for them,” LaLiga President Javier Tebas said.
Following the match, Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid drew attention to the abusive behavior, prompting Valencia prosecutors to launch a hate crime investigation.
“It wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” Vinicius Junior had said earlier.
Mainly playing on the left flank, the 23-year-old Real Madrid forward since 2018 has been repeatedly taunted by opposition fans at Spanish stadiums.
As a Madrid player, he won the UEFA Champions League twice, in 2022 and 2024, and is also a three-time Spanish champion with the European powerhouse.
Vinicius Junior has scored 83 goals and made 75 assists in 264 appearances for the Spanish club.
After the conviction, Vini Jr. expressed himself on social media, stating that this victory “is for all Black people” and called himself the “nemesis of racists.”
“As I always said, I am not a victim of racism. I am the nemesis of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It is for all Black people,” declared Vinicius Jr. “Let other racists be afraid, ashamed, and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I will be here to hold them accountable,” he added.
Last year, cases of racism against Vinicius Jr. in Spain gained significant attention, especially after the May match between Real Madrid and Valencia. On that occasion, after being insulted by fans, Vini Jr. immediately complained to the referee, who stopped the game.
A commotion ensued, and a Valencia player put Vinicius Jr. in a headlock. As he broke free, he struck another opponent in the face and was expelled.
The Brazilian complained at the end of the match, criticizing the Spanish league for the various instances of racism he had suffered in recent months, but he was harshly criticized by the president of LaLiga—the entity responsible for organizing the main Spanish championship—Javier Tebas.
Amid the global repercussions of the case, which sparked a significant debate about racism in football, Tebas backtracked and apologized.
The Spanish police also mobilized and identified and detained fans who made racist insults at Mestalla and others who, months earlier, hung a Black doll wearing Vinicius Jr.’s jersey by its neck on a bridge in Madrid.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the episode and called for more anti-racist actions in football, and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, also expressed solidarity with Vinicius Jr.
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