In a historic ruling for Spanish football that could mark jurisprudence for similar events, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for uttering racist insults at Vinicius. The accused recognized the facts classified as a crime against moral integrity aggravated by hatred.
Young people will also not be able to enter a football stadium for the next two years. The initial sentence requested was one year in prison and three years without being able to watch a live game, but it was agreed to reduce the sentences after the repentance expressed by the accused.
READ MORE
++ Every time Vinícius Júnior faced racial abuse in LaLiga
++ Endrick and family face racism during match: CBF condemns acts, pledges support
++ Brazilian state enacts ‘Vini Jr.’ law to end racism in football
During the trial, held in the Valencia Court, the defendants read a letter in which they apologized to Vinicius, LaLiga and Real Madrid, accepting their responsibility for the events investigated.
The legal procedure judged what happened on May 21, 2023 in Mestalla, when the Brazilian received racist insults from the stands and even pointed out the person he identified as the aggressor, in the midst of a commotion that led to the crash being stopped for several minutes. The footballer later testified in court about this fact, while Valencia reacted with indignation because they understood that he was accusing all the fans of being racist, although he collaborated with the investigation.
First conviction of its kind in Spain
This is the first conviction of this type handed down in Spain. “Real Madrid, which together with Vinicius Junior has brought private prosecution in this procedure, will continue working to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport,” the club said in a statement.
“It is great news for the fight against racism in Spain, since it repairs the damage suffered by Vinicius Jr. and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to insult,” said the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas.
✅LALIGA logra la primera sentencia condenatoria en España por insultos racistas en el fútbol.
🧑⚖️Se ha impuesto a los tres culpables que insultaron a @vinijr en Mestalla una pena de 8 meses de prisión y la imposibilidad de acceder a un estadio durante 2 años.
— LALIGA Corporativo (@LaLigaCorp) June 10, 2024
“I understand that there may be some frustration due to the time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a guaranteeing country at the judicial level. In this sense, from LaLiga we can only respect the times of justice and once again demand that Spanish legislation evolve so that LaLiga has sanctioning powers that can accelerate the times of the fight against racism,” added the leader.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
