Three supporters of Valencia who were found guilty of racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a match have been sentenced to eight months in prison.
During a La Liga game where Real Madrid lost to Valencia 1-0 at the Mestalla in May 2023, an incident occurred where the player identified a fan racially abusing him consistently, which led to the temporary suspension of the match.
According to ESPN, the court found the three fans guilty and initially sentenced them to 12 months in prison, later reducing it to eight months after the defendants accepted responsibility for the crime, which breaches article 173.1 of Spain’s criminal code.
They were also given a three-year stadium ban, later reduced to two years, and fined a certain amount of money to cover costs.
Vinicius Jr in response to the judgment, expressed his appreciation to Spanish authorities for taking such drastic actions and vowed to continue fighting against racism.
“Many people asked me to ignore it, others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football.’ But, as I’ve always said, I’m not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It’s for all Black people.
“Let the other racists be afraid, ashamed, and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I’ll be here to call them out. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping to bring about this historic condemnation. There’s more to come,” he wrote on X.
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