Conviction for threats against Vinícius Jr.: Prison and stadium ban

Convictions for Racist Attacks Against Vinícius Júnior

A Spanish court has handed down prison sentences to four individuals involved in hate acts and threats directed at Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid footballer. The crimes occurred in January 2023, before a Copa del Rey match between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid. The charges stem from the display of a doll hanging from a bridge wearing Vinícius’s jersey, accompanied by a banner that read “Madrid hates Real.”

Following a complaint, four arrests were made in 2023. The ruling of the Madrid court, issued on Monday, imposed the following sentences:

• An accused was sentenced to 15 months in prison for hate crime and an additional seven months for threats, having disseminated images of the act online.
• The other three defendants received sentences of seven months in prison for hate crime and seven months for threats.

In addition to prison sentences, financial fines were established:

• The first defendant was fined 1,084 euros.
• The other three defendants were fined 720 euros each.

Additional measures were also imposed:

• Restraining order of 1,000 meters from Vinícius, his residence, and his workplace (Real Madrid City).
• Prohibition of access to football stadiums within 1,000 meters during LaLiga matches and RFEF competitions, from four hours before to four hours after each match.
• Prohibition of communication with the victim for a period of four years from the end of the sentence.

LaLiga has filed complaints for several incidents of racist insults and threats against Vinícius Júnior, of Real Madrid.

All the accused signed a letter of apology addressed to Vinícius, Real Madrid, and the RFEF, which led to a mitigation in the compensation for damages. This case adds to a series of resolutions related to the abusive treatment of Vinícius. Last summer, three fans were sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from stadiums for racist insults against the Brazilian player at Mestalla in May 2023, during the match between Real Madrid and Valencia. A Mallorca fan who hurled racist insults at Vinícius and Samuel Chukwueze of Villarreal, also received a suspended 12-month sentence from a Spanish court in September. More recently, in May, five Real Valladolid fans who racially insulted Vinícius Júnior in 2022 were also sentenced to 12 months of suspended prison and significant fines.