Four men have been handed suspended jail sentences after being found guilty of a hate crime against Real Madrid and Brazilian football star Vinícius Júnior.
According to Real Madrid, 14 people have now been convicted for the racial abuse of its players.
What happened
Vinícius Júnior debuted for Real Madrid in 2018 and has made 316 appearances for the club since then. He was the winner of the 2024 FIFA men’s Player of the Year award.
In January 2023, four men were charged over hanging an effigy of Vinícius from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground, in the lead-up to a domestic quarter-final between the team and crosstown rival Atletico Madrid.
A banner on the bridge read: “Madrid hates Real”. In that phrase, Madrid refers to Atletico Madrid.
Three of the men received 14-month prison sentences for their involvement in the act. One other received a 22-month sentence because he had distributed images online.
All four of the men’s sentences were suspended after they signed an apology to Vinícius and the relevant sporting organisations involved.
The club said in a statement: "This criminal conviction comes in addition to the several already handed down in recent months for racist insults received by Real Madrid players… [We] will continue to work to protect the values of our club and to eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport."
Racism
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Racism has been a persistent problem for LaLiga, Spain’s top professional soccer league, particularly in regard to Vinícius.
Overall, Real Madrid has said 14 people in total have been convicted for the racial abuse of its players.
In June last year, three fans of the team Valencia were sentenced to eight months in jail after Vinícius called them out in the stands for racially abusing him before and during the game. It was a landmark case in Spain as it was the first conviction issued by a court for racism at a match.
At the time, he 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."
In March this year, Vinícius broke down during a press conference because he has continued to face racial abuse since calling out the now-convicted Valencia fans.
Then, in May, another group of fans, this time of the team Valladolid, were handed suspended sentences for an incident of racial abuse against Vinícius in December 2022.
LaLiga VS
In 2023, 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.”
It has also launched the Monitor for the Observation of Hate in Sport (M.O.O.D.).
In 2024, M.O.O.D. monitored over 21 million social media conversations and found a 90% drop in racist conversations about LaLiga football, compared to when the tool first came into use.
