Vinicius Junior said racists “should be afraid” after three Valencia fans were each sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing him during a match last year.
The sentence is the first conviction related to racist abuse in Spanish football and the Real Madrid striker welcomed the decision to sentence those involved to prison terms.
“The first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me, but for all black people,” the Brazilian posted on social media platform X.
“I hope other racists hide in the shadows, scared and ashamed. Otherwise, I will be here to hold them accountable. Thank you to LaLiga and Real Madrid for this historic conviction. More to come. A lot of things…”
The abuse incident punished by the Valencia court occurred during a league match held at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium on May 21 last year. LaLiga filed the first complaint that prompted criminal proceedings.
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Vinicius Jr. shed tears while talking about the racism he faced while playing for Real Madrid last season, saying he just wanted to play football.
The individual was also banned from all stadiums hosting La Liga matches or matches governed by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for two years.
La Liga said Valencia had cooperated with the investigation and had expelled three members of the club.
La Liga and Real confirmed that an apology letter sent by the defendants to Vinicius was read out during the hearing.
La Liga said, 'We want to speed up the fight against racism.'
La Liga president Javier Tebas wants sanctions against racist crimes to be accelerated.
LaLiga president Javier said: “This ruling is good news in the fight against racism in Spain as it helps to right the shameful wrong suffered by Vinicius Junior and sends a clear message to individuals who go to football stadiums and hurl abuse at them. “It is,” he said. Tebas said.
“La Liga will identify and report them and they will be subject to criminal punishment.
“I understand that it may be frustrating because it takes so long for a sentence to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees the integrity of justice,” he said.
“We in La Liga can respect the pace of justice, but we once again call for Spanish legislation to be developed to give La Liga sanctions powers that could speed up the fight against racism.”
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Ahead of the Champions League final, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham was asked about team-mate Vinicius Junior winning the Ballon d'Or.
Currently, La Liga can only communicate the facts of the case to the relevant legal authorities and cannot sanction clubs, fans or players for acts of hate, racism or violence themselves.
Real Madrid released a statement confirming the conviction. “Real Madrid, which has exercised private prosecution alongside Vinicius Junior in these proceedings, will continue to work to protect the values of our club and eradicate all racist acts in football.” And sports.”
Infantino: Rasicts are not part of football
FIFA president Gianni Infantino welcomed the ruling as a “positive step” in the fight to eliminate racism in football.
He wrote on his Instagram story: “I am delighted to see the Spanish authorities taking decisive action and sentencing in relation to the racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior during a Spanish La Liga match in May 2023. This is a positive step.
“As I made clear at the recent FIFA Congress in Bangkok, we can no longer accept what is happening on our pitches and stadiums.
“Our message to people around the world who still act racist when covering football is clear: we don’t want you, these people should be excluded. They are not part of our community and they are not part of football. ” soccer.
“This ruling demonstrates that criminal prosecution is one of FIFA’s Five Principles of Conduct. We will stand together as global football and push for racism to be recognized as a criminal offense in every country around the world. Watch today in Spain As you can see, if it is already considered a crime, it will receive correspondingly severe punishment.”
