Five individuals have received suspended prison sentences for racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, marking Spain’s first court ruling to classify racist insults in a football stadium as a hate crime, LaLiga announced on Wednesday.
The abuse occurred during Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid in December 2022, when Brazil international Vinicius appeared to be targeted by home fans as he walked past the stands at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium after being substituted.
The Provincial Court of Valladolid sentenced the offenders to one year in prison and imposed fines ranging from €1,080 to €1,620. The jail terms were suspended on the condition that the individuals do not commit any further offences over the next three years. They are also banned from attending football matches for the same duration.
“Thanks to the efforts of LaLiga, which filed the complaint and initially acted as the sole private prosecution – later joined by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the Public Prosecutor’s Office – this exemplary ruling has been achieved,” LaLiga said in a statement.
“This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where, until now, rulings had addressed conduct against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor.
The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football.”
In Spain, prison terms of under two years for non-violent crimes are typically suspended if the offenders have no prior criminal record.
This ruling follows a series of legal actions taken against individuals for racially abusing Vinicius Jr. In June 2023, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for directing racist chants and gestures at the player. In another case, a fan who racially abused both Vinicius and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze during matches in Mallorca in 2023 received a suspended sentence and a three-year stadium ban after issuing an apology and undergoing anti-discrimination training.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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