Vinicius Jr welcomes jail sentence for racially abusive fans

MADRID – Vinicius Jr has welcomed the eight-month prison sentences handed down on June 10 to three Valencia fans

for racially abusing him during a La Liga match in 2023.

“This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It’s for all black people,” the Real Madrid and Brazil forward posted on social media.

“But, as I’ve always said, I’m not a victim of racism. I’m a destroyer of racists. Let the other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I’ll be here to collect the debt.

“Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping to bring about this historic verdict. There’s more to come.”

The defendants, who were not identified, were convicted of an offence against moral integrity with the aggravating factor of racially motivated discrimination, the Valencia court said.

They were also slapped with a two-year match ban. With no previous criminal record, none will serve jail time, as judges habitually suspend prison sentences of less than two years for first-time offenders.

Spain’s La Liga hailed the ruling as “the first sentence handed down for racist insults in a Spanish football stadium”.

“This sentence is very good news for the fight against racism in Spain,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas.

“It sends a clear message to anyone who goes to a football stadium to hurl insults that La Liga will find and prosecute them and that they will face criminal consequences.”

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said on Instagram the decision was a “positive step”.

“Our message to people anywhere in the world who behave in a racist way when they are dealing with football is clear: we don’t want you,” he wrote.

Brazil’s football federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues called for harsher punishments for such incidents, saying that the sentences were “still mild”.

The incident took place at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium on May 21, 2023, when home fans hurled abuse and made monkey noises at Vinicius.

Play was halted as the player stood in front of fans and pointed at those responsible, prompting stadium officials to demand an end to racist insults before the match could resume.

All three “shouted and chanted at the player with... evident contempt for the colour of his skin... making racist gestures of contempt and causing him to feel frustration, shame and humiliation”, court documents showed.

In a statement, Real said the trio had admitted their wrongdoing and sent a letter apologising to Vinicius, the club and to everyone else “who felt belittled or offended by their behaviour”.

The unpleasant event, the latest in a string of racist attacks on Vinicius, sparked an international outcry, with Brazil lodging a diplomatic protest and turning off the lights on Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue in solidarity.

Real filed a criminal complaint and within days, police arrested the three youths responsible.

Now 23, Vinicius has been taunted by opposition fans since joining Real in 2018, suffering racist abuse at several Spanish stadiums. There were reportedly at least 16 incidents in the last two seasons.

In January 2023, a dark-skinned effigy wearing a Vinicius shirt was found hanging from a bridge near the club’s training ground. Four Atletico Madrid fans were in December charged over the incident, with prosecutors pushing for jail terms of four years. No date has yet been set for a trial. AFP, REUTERS