After pleading guilty to insulting Real Madrid forward Vincius Junior, three Valencia fans received an eight-month prison sentence. This is the first conviction for racism-related offenses in professional soccer in Spain.
The supporters, whose names remain undisclosed, will face a two-year ban from soccer stadiums and will be responsible for covering any legal costs.
Related posts
Real Madrid and Valencia played a Spanish league match at Mestalla Stadium in May 2023. An insult to Vincius temporarily halted the match.
The incident garnered significant support for Vinรญcius, a black individual, and prompted calls for action from Spanish authorities and society.
Soccer legend Thierry Henry dubbed Vincius “the best player in the world,” but months after the incident at Mestalla, he continued to face racist abuse. Many saw it as a watershed moment in the fight against racism in Spanish soccer.
Racism-motivated prejudice served as an aggravating circumstance in the defendants’ conviction for a crime against moral integrity.
The Spanish League, along with the Spanish Soccer Federation, Real Madrid, and Vinรญcius, filed the action in court.
Vinรญcius cried in March after receiving racial slurs in Spain, expressing a loss of motivation to continue playing.
Vinรญcius expressed sadness about his current situation. “It’s challenging. I’ve been struggling against it for a long time. It’s exhausting because you feel alone. Despite filing numerous official complaints, no one has ever faced any penalties.
Soon after the incident at their stadium, Valencia banned the fans. Prosecutors have previously dismissed similar accusations like Vincius’, and there has never been a trial for racially abusing a player in Spain.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino proposed automatic forfeitures for teams whose fans racially insulted opposing players in January, according to CBS Sports.
For many years, racism has affected sports. Last year, Major League Soccer punished New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir for six games after he used racist remarks during a game against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Following England’s defeat by Italy in the European Championship finals in 2021, three black players were subjected to racial abuse. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka helped the side get through the tournament, but they missed penalty strokes in the final against Italy, resulting in a barrage of racial abuse online.
Everton Racist taunts marred his team’s Serbian league victory over Rad in 2017, causing Luiz to leave the field in tears.
Two Argentine fans faced jail time at the 2014 World Cup for calling a black player a “little monkey.”
