Three fans of Spanish football club, Valencia CF, have been sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from stadiums for two years over the racist abuse of Real Madrid star, Vinicius Junior. The incident which sparked global outrage at the time, happened at Valencia’s home ground, the Mestalla, in May 2023, in a match the home team won, 1-0. Vinicius had identified a fan in the stands who he alleged was shouting racial epithet at him.
Vinícius later hit out at Spanish authorities’ handling of the issue, saying “racism is normal in LaLiga,” while the league called for greater powers to deal with the problem.
On Monday, June 10, the three fans charged in the incident were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity — aggravated by racially motivated discrimination — under article 173.1 of Spain’s Criminal Code.
They were sentenced to an initial 12 months in prison, reduced by 1⁄3 to eight months, under a principle which sees reduced punishments for defendants who accept criminal responsibility.
They also received a three-year stadium ban, reduced to two years for the same reason, and will have to pay costs.
Reacting to the news, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said “this ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain, it redresses the wrong suffered by Vinicius Junior and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them.”
“I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity. LaLiga can only respect the pace of justice, and once again demand that Spanish legislation evolves so that LaLiga has sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism.”
