On Monday, three Valencia football fans were sentenced to eight months in jail over the racial abuse of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior.
The fans are also banned from entering football stadiums for two years and must cover the cost of the court proceedings.
It’s the first conviction issued by a Spanish court for racism at a match.
The Incident
The incident occurred during a La Liga (Spain’s top professional football league) match between Valencia and Real Madrid in May 2023.
Vinícius Jr, who is Black, called out the three offenders in the stands who had racially abused him before and during the game.
La Liga lodged a legal complaint with the support of theFederation and Real Madrid.
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The sentence handed down to the abusers marks the first ever conviction in Spain for racism at a football match. The original conviction would have seen them jailed for twelve months, but the court said it reduced the sentence after they delivered an apology and demonstrated remorse.
Vinícius Júnior
The Brazilian football player said: “I’m not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows … Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction.”
La Liga VS
Last year, LaLiga launched an initiative called ‘LaLiga VS’ which “aims to eradicate hatred inside and outside football by promoting a respectful and inclusive society on all levels.”
Racism is a persistent problem for LaLiga. In March this year, Vinícius Jr broke down during a press conference because he has continued to face racial abuse since calling out the now-convicted Valencia fans.
In response to racism in football, LaLiga launched the Monitor for the Observation of Hate in Sportlast season. This season, M.O.O.D. has monitored over 21 million social media conversations,finding a 90% drop in racist conversations about LaLiga football, compared to when the tool first came into use.
