LA LIGA: COURT JAILS FOUR OVER HATE CRIME AGAINST R'MADRID FORWARD, VINICIUS JR.

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By: Sefiu Ajape

A Spanish court has handed prison sentences to four individuals who committed a hate crime targeting Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. in a widely condemned act of racism ahead of a Copa del Rey match in January 2023.

According to a statement issued by Real Madrid CF, Section 23 of the Provincial Court of Madrid found the four defendants guilty of a hate crime and one count of issuing threats after they hung a black inflatable doll dressed in Vinicius Jr.’s jersey from a bridge near Real Madrid City—an act simulating his lynching.

The incident occurred just hours before Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey quarter-final clash with Atlético de Madrid.

The offenders also displayed an anti-Real Madrid banner at the scene and one of them later promoted the act on social media.

All four defendants admitted to the crime, expressed remorse, and publicly apologized during the proceedings.

The court sentenced one individual to one year and ten months in prison, while the remaining three received one year and two months each.

They have also been fined and are barred from engaging in professions related to education and sports for three years.

As part of their sentence, the convicts must remain at least 1,000 meters away from Vinicius Jr. and refrain from any form of communication with him for four years.

They are also prohibited from entering any football stadium during matches over the same period and are required to complete a course on equality and non-discrimination.

This conviction marks another in a series of legal victories against racism in Spanish football, with Real Madrid confirming that 14 individuals have now been criminally convicted for racist behavior directed at their players in various stadiums and online.

Real Madrid, which joined the case as a private prosecutor alongside Vinicius Jr., reaffirmed its commitment to fighting racism in football, stating it will continue efforts to defend its players and uphold the values of respect and equality in the sport.

In May, five Valladolid fans who racially insulted Vinicius in 2022 were found guilty in what the league said at the time was the first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a football stadium as a hate crime.

Last year, three Valencia fans were handed eight-month prison sentences after pleading guilty to racially insulting Vinicius in a 2023 match, in what had been the first conviction for racism-related cases in professional football in Spain, though it was not based on a hate crime.

The Valencia fans were convicted of a crime against moral integrity, with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.