Valladolid fans given prison sentences for Vinicius hate-crime when insults were directed towards Brazilian in December 2022.
In what La Liga called a historic decision that denounced racist taunts shouted in a football stadium as a hate crime, five Valladolid supporters who harassed Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior were sentenced to suspended prison terms.
The issue stems from Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid at José Zorrilla Stadium in December 2022, when a number of supporters threw racial taunts at the Brazilian. Later, pictures and videos shared on social media were used to identify the people.
The supporters were found guilty by a Valladolid court and given a year in prison along with fines of up to €1,620 (£1,364). In exchange for the defendants not committing any more crimes and abstaining from attending stadiums used for official national events for the following three years, the prison terms were suspended.
La Liga praised the decision, calling it a “historic turning point in the battle against racism in Spanish sports.”
Racist shouts were previously deemed an infraction against moral integrity by courts, with race serving as an aggravating factor. It added in a statement on Wednesday that “the fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football.”
Real Madrid mirrored the sentiment. The club said in a statement that Spanish courts had sentenced players for racist taunts at Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, and Vallecas Stadium in Madrid in recent months. However, the Valladolid ruling felt different. “This time, the convictions for hate crimes reflect a singular acknowledgement of the offensive character of these actions.”
The 24-year-old Vinícius has been leading the fight against racism in La Liga for a long time after experiencing racist taunts at over ten Spanish stadiums. He revealed the damage caused by years of racial taunts last year, claiming that the abuse was eroding his will to play.
His efforts have paid off in recent months. Four men were detained by Spanish police late last year on suspicion of organising an online hate campaign against him. Four persons were detained in 2023 on suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinícius from a bridge in Madrid.