Five people have been condemned to prison after racially assaulting Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr. during a league encounter earlier this season.
The Spanish La Liga, which is working to eliminate racism in football throughout Spain, announced this development on Wednesday, April 21.
Vinicius was subjected to racial insults from supporters as he exited the pitch after being substituted against Real Valladolid in December of 2022.
The Valladolid Provincial Court sentenced the perpetrators to one year in prison and fined them between 1,080 and 1,620 euros.
These prison sentences are suspended on the condition that the offenders refrain from engaging in any criminal activity for the following three years, and that they do not attend any matches during that time.
LaLiga’s proactive attitude was critical to this conclusion, since the organisation filed the initial complaint and served as the principal private prosecution, later joined by Vinicius, Real Madrid, and the Public Prosecutor.
This decision marks a watershed moment in Spain’s fight against racism in sports, moving away from prior rulings that only addressed moral integrity offenses with racial aggravation.
The formal designation of these acts as hate crimes sends a clear message that intolerance and bigotry are not tolerated in football.
Previously, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially insulting Vinicius, while another was given a suspended 12-month term after admitting their guilt and completing in anti-discrimination training.
In Spain, first-time offenders who receive prison sentences of less than two years for nonviolent offenses are unlikely to face actual jail time.
