In a highly unprecedented ruling, five people were given the equivalent of a one year suspended prison sentence. These supporters had been punished for a racial insult towards Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior in an episode from December 2022. Even with this good news, this case demonstrates how endemic racism continues to plague sports to this day. It’s a monumental step in Spain’s legal reaction to combating this behavior.
The sentences, issued by a Spanish court, are conditional and limited in scope. The defendants are prohibited from entering any football stadium or other venues that hold official intercollegiate sports competitions for the next three years. This restriction is a hard shell. They need to not commit any new violations in this window of time. The court subsequently sentenced them all to pay fines ranging from 1,080 euros (£913) to 1,620 euros (£1,369). These monetary fines accompanied the suspended custodial sentences.
Vinicius Junior, a forward for Real Madrid, has been subjected to racist abuse for the entirety of his young career. In December, this incident was the tip of the iceberg on a series of recent cases that showed just how serious the rise of racism in football has become. Similar convictions have been secured in Valencia, Majorca and Madrid. Most significantly, the online abuse Vinicius received has resulted in criminal prosecution as well.
The five defendants apologized in a letter addressed to Vinicius Junior. To their great advocacy credit, they admitted that their behavior crossed the line. Their apology is included as part of the terms agreed upon by the court.
Real Madrid welcomed the court’s ruling, stating that it “offers unique recognition of the offensive nature of these behaviours.” The club emphasized its commitment to eradicating racism in football, pledging to “continue working to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sports.”
LaLiga was equally delighted with the result of the case, noting that their work in launching legal action against the defendants should be recognized. “Thanks to the efforts of LaLiga, which filed the complaint and initially acted as the sole private prosecution – later joined by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the Public Prosecutor’s Office – this exemplary ruling has been achieved,” a representative from LaLiga remarked.
This historic ruling represents a breakthrough development in Spain’s ongoing battle against sports racism. Until now, earlier decisions mostly looked at moral turpitude questions in cases dealing with racial aggravating factors. They rarely took on hate crimes directly.
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