Valencia Sues Netflix Over Documentary About Vinícius Júnior
Valencia Club de Fútbol has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the inclusion of false information in a documentary related to the Brazilian player Vinícius Júnior.
The sports institution maintains that the documentary wrongly accuses a large number of Valencia fans of chanting racist songs directed at the Real Madrid striker during a LaLiga match in 2023.
The lawsuit was filed after receiving no response to the club’s public requests for the documentary’s production company to make corrections.
The club is seeking financial compensation, the correction of the documentary’s subtitles, and the publication of the ruling. Valencia had threatened to take legal action earlier this year.
The lawsuit is filed against Netflix and the production company for damages to the “honor of Valencia”.
The documentary includes a social media video showing a crowd at the Mestalla stadium, allegedly chanting against Vinícius. The video’s subtitles display the word “monkey”, but Valencia claims that the fans were actually shouting “fool”.
Carlo Ancelotti, then Real Madrid coach, initially accused Valencia fans of racist insults against Vinícius, but later apologized when he realized that not the entire stadium was chanting the word “monkey”.
During the match, some fans did utter racist insults against Vinícius. Three of them were the first to be convicted of crimes related to racism in Spanish professional football, receiving sentences of eight months in prison.
In the trial, experts showed that the video with the “mono” subtitles had been edited and did not reflect reality, according to Spanish media.
Vinícius, who has been the victim of repeated racist insults in Spain, was visibly affected during the 2023 match against Valencia. The player confronted a Valencia fan who called him a “monkey” and made monkey gestures from the stands.
