Real Madrid’s player Vinicius Jr. saw justice served on Monday as La Liga announced that three Valencia football fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison for hate crimes against him. This marks the first conviction for racist insults in a Spanish soccer stadium.
“This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain as it repairs the damage suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to insult that LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them,” LaLiga president Javier Tebas said.
The three Valencia football fans, who received prison sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes, are unlikely to serve jail time since they have no previous convictions.
However, they’ll remain free unless they commit more offenses. Alongside their sentences, they’ve been banned from entering football stadiums for two years.
At Valencia’s Mestalla stadium in May of last year, during a league match, racist slurs were directed at Vinicius, who is Black.
The incident sparked widespread support for the Brazilian forward and spurred various local and international campaigns, including the establishment of a FIFA anti-racism committee comprising players. “During the hearing, the defendants presented a letter of apology to Vinicius Jr., LaLiga, and Real Madrid,” stated LaLiga on Monday.