Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
Three football fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing the Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.
The ruling relates to a game against Valencia in 2023, when the Brazilian said that rival fans had made monkey noises and gestures at him from the stands.
It is the first conviction for racism at a football match in Spain. Vinicius, who has faced repeated racial abuse playing for Madrid, took to X after the verdict.
“I’m not a victim of racism,” he wrote. “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.”
Fresh from his Champions League victory, Vinicius is a favourite for the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world. But just three months ago, he broke down in tears talking to the press about the racist abuse that he has faced.
“I just want to play football, but it’s hard to move forward,” he said. “I feel less and less like playing.”
Over the last two seasons, La Liga, the top division in Spain, has referred 16 racist incidents involving Vinicius to Spanish prosecutors.
The abuse, which includes an effigy of the player being hung from a bridge near Madrid’s training ground, even prompted the Brazilian government to issue a protest to Spain’s ambassador and turn off the lights on the Christ the Redeemer statue in solidarity.
La Liga welcomed the conviction as “great news”. It has called for more powers to punish clubs and fans, instead of having to rely on prosecutors to investigate incidents. But the league has itself been accused of playing down racism at its matches.
After Vinicius was abused in Valencia, he criticised La Liga for its lack of action.
This prompted a furious response from the league’s president Javier Tebas, who told Vinicius that he needed to “inform” himself properly and said that neither Spain nor La Liga was racist.
On Monday, Tebas struck a different tone. He said the verdict was “great news for the fight against racism in Spain”.
