Three Valencia fans given jail sentences for racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior

Three Valencia fans have been handed sentences of eight months in prison and two-year stadium bans over racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

The 24-year-old reacted to the news, saying: "This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people."

The incident took place at a La Liga match between Real and Valencia in May 2023 at Mestalla Stadium, and the game was briefly stopped due to abuse aimed at the Brazilian. 

The three fans, whose names were not released, appeared in court on Monday and were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity with "aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.”

They were sentenced to an initial 12 months in prison, reduced by a third to eight months, due to a principle which sees reduced punishments for defendants who accept criminal responsibility.

"The ruling handed down today, which is final, establishes as proven that the three defendants insulted Vinicius with shouts, gestures and chants referring to the colour of his skin," the court said in a statement.

"These shouts and gestures of a racist nature, consisting among other things in the repetition of the sounds and imitating the movements of monkeys, caused the footballer feelings of frustration, shame and humiliation, with the consequent undermining of his intrinsic dignity."

The convictions are the first for racist abuse at a football match in Spain and is “great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain,” according to La Liga president Javier Tebas.

There were 10 incidents of racist abuse against the player that were reported to La Liga in 2023. In a press conference in March this year, Vinicius broke down in tears as he said he feels he is losing his desire to play football because of the repeated racist abuse.

The Valencia incident sparked an outpouring of international support and calls for action by Spanish authorities. Vinicius spoke out following the match, saying "racism is normal in La Liga.”

In a tweet posted on Monday following the conviction, Vinicius said: "Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just "play football."

"But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people.

"May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to collect. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come…"

The defendants' lawyers requested for the sentences to be suspended - a common practice in Spain for sentences under two years. The judge did not reject the request and will rule on it at a later date.

"This ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain," La Liga president Javier Tebas said. "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. La Liga 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. La Liga can only respect the pace of justice, and once again demand that Spanish legislation evolves so that La Liga has sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism."

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