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Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior

Agence France-Presse

<p>MADRID, Spain -- Three Valencia fans were handed eight-month jail terms Monday for racist abuse towards Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, a court said, in what Spain&#x27;s La Liga said was the first such conviction in Spain.</p><p>The defendants, who were not identified, were convicted of an offense against moral integrity with the aggravating factor of racially motivated discrimination, the Valencia court said.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/C63sA0-osuw/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A28396878.400000095%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="834" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>They were also slapped with a two-year match ban. With no previous criminal record, none will serve jail time as judges habitually suspend prison sentences of less than two years for first-time offenders.</p><p>La Liga hailed the ruling as &quot;the first sentence handed down for racist insults in a Spanish football stadium&quot;.</p><p>&quot;This sentence is very good news for the fight against racism in Spain,&quot; said La Liga president Javier Tebas.</p><p>&quot;It sends a clear message to anyone who goes to a football stadium to hurl insults that La Liga will find and prosecute them and that they will face criminal consequences.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/6/2/real-madrid-defy-dortmund-to-win-15th-champions-league-1149">READ: Real Madrid defy Dortmund to win 15th Champions League</a></div><p>The incident took place on May 21, 2023 when Real Madrid played away to Valencia at the Mestalla stadium during a match which saw home fans hurling abuse and chanting monkey noises at the Brazilian forward.</p><p>Play was halted as Vinicius stood in front of fans and pointed at those responsible, prompting stadium officials to demand an end to racist insults before the match could resume.</p><p>All three &quot;shouted and chanted at the player with... evident contempt for the color of his skin... making racist gestures of contempt and causing him to feel frustration, shame and humiliation&quot;, court documents showed.</p><p>It said they were &quot;simulating the gestures made by primates and repeatedly making... the sound made by monkeys&quot; in front of a full stadium and a &quot;massive&quot; TV, radio and media audience.</p><p>In a statement, Real Madrid said the trio had admitted their wrongdoing and sent a letter apologizing to Vinicius, the club and to everyone else &quot;who felt belittled or offended by their behavior&quot;, urging fans to avoid all expressions of &quot;racism and intolerance&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/23/23/spain-opens-investigation-into-racist-abuse-of-vinicius">READ: Spain opens investigation into racist abuse of Vinicius</a></div><div><strong>- Years of abuse -</strong></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3055701"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div><p>The incident, the latest in a string of racist attacks on the player, sparked an international outcry with Brazil lodging a diplomatic protest and turning off the lights on Rio de Janeiro&#x27;s Christ the Redeemer statue in solidarity.</p><p>Real Madrid filed a criminal complaint and within days, police arrested three youths for &quot;insults and gestures with racist overtones&quot; at the Valencia match on suspicion of &quot;an alleged hate crime&quot; -- an offense which includes racist behavior.</p><p>Now 23, Vinicius has been taunted by opposition fans since joining Real Madrid in 2018, suffering racist abuse at several Spanish stadiums.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/22/23/ancelotti-blasts-la-ligas-problem-with-racism">READ: Ancelotti blasts Spanish league&#x27;s &#x27;problem&#x27; with racism</a></div><p>In January 2023, a dark-skinned effigy wearing a Vinicius shirt was found hanging from a bridge near the club&#x27;s training ground alongside a banner saying: &quot;Madrid hates Real&quot;.</p><p>In December, four Atletico Madrid fans were charged over the incident, with prosecutors pushing for jail terms of four years. No date has yet been set for a trial.</p><p>The Valencia incident sparked a fierce debate about whether Spain is doing enough to stamp out racism in football.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Three Valencia fans were handed eight-month jail terms Monday for racist abuse towards Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, a court said, in what Spain's La Liga said was the first such conviction in Spain.</p>

Three Valencia fans were handed eight-month jail terms Monday for racist abuse towards Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, a court said, in what Spain's La Liga said was the first such conviction in Spain.

Fans get 8 months jail for racism targeting Real Madrid's Vinicius

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Fans get 8 months jail for racism targeting Real Madrid's Vinicius

Agence France-Presse

Published Jun 11, 2024 01:22 AM PHT

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football

Real Madrid

racism

racism in sports

Vinicius Jr

La Liga

Valencia

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