Spanish Soccer Fans Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison for Racial Chants at Player Vinícius Júnior
Andrew Chapados, The Blaze, June 10, 2024
Three soccer fans were sentenced to eight months in prison and issued a two-year ban from soccer stadiums in Spain after allegedly racially abusing a Brazilian player.
During a May 2023 game between top-tier soccer clubs Real Madrid and Valencia, fans of Valencia made racially charged chants in their stadium directed at star player Vinícius Júnior.
The game at Mestalla Stadium was delayed for about 10 minutes as the player nicknamed Vini Jr. called out spectators in the crowd, and requested officials put a stop to their racial remarks.
Fans were heard continuously chanting “mono” (monkey) as well as “Vinícius die.”
Following the game, Real Madrid filed a hate-crime complaint and three fans, who remain unnamed, were arrested.
The fans were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives, NBC News reported.
The eight-month sentence was accompanied by a two-year ban from soccer stadiums, along with the defendants having to pay for all court proceedings.
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Javier Tebas, president of Spanish soccer league La Liga, said, “This ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain.”
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