Vinicius Junior
Source: Africa
Brazil and Real Madrid player, Vinicius Junior, has hailed the jailing of three Valencia FC fans who racially abused him during a La Liga game, saying the historic ruling “is for all black people.”
According to him, the verdict of the Spanish Court on Monday, June 10, 2024, is a victory “for all black people.”
After the Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison, Vinicius cautioned all racist people in Spain to be mindful of racism.
He said “The first criminal conviction in Spain’s history isn’t for me, but it’s for all black people. May other racists feel scared, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I will be here to hold them accountable.”
About the trial
As earlier reported, three fans of La Liga club, Valencia, were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing Vinicius Junior.
The trio were also banned from stadiums for two years.
It would be recalled that the racial abuse of Vinicius Junior took place at Mestalla in May 2023 when Madrid played away from home to Valencia.
Real Madrid lost the match 1 – 0 to Valencia but the racial abuse of the Brazilian footballer sparked a global uproar. Vinicius during the match, identified an individual in the crowd who had been racially abusing him, leading to the match being suspended.
After the match, Vinicius Junior slammed Spanish authorities for how they were handling the matter, saying at the time that “racism is normal in La Liga”.
After months of trial, three fans were on Monday, June 10, 2024, found guilty of a crime against moral integrity — aggravated by racially motivated discrimination — under article 173.1 of Spain’s Criminal Code.
The trio 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.
The racist fans further received a three-year stadium ban, reduced to two years for the same reason, and will have to pay costs.
