Historic Judicial Ruling in Spain: Conviction for Racism in Football
A Valladolid court has issued a landmark ruling, convicting five Real Valladolid fans for racist insults directed at Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior in 2022. This decision sets a significant precedent, being the first time in Spain that racist insults in a football stadium are considered a hate crime.
The defendants were sentenced to one year in prison, a sentence that is suspended on the condition of not committing new crimes or attending football stadiums in official national competitions for three years. Additionally, they must pay a fine of up to 1,620 euros.
Vinícius Júnior has appeared in court on several occasions for cases related to racism.
“In a decisive step towards eradicating racism in sports, the Provincial Court of Valladolid has issued the first sentence in Spain that convicts the five defendants for shouting racist insults at Vinícius Jr. in a soccer stadium as a hate crime under article 510.2a of the Penal Code,” LaLiga stated.
LaLiga
LaLiga was the entity that reported the events to the local court. The player Vinícius testified via videoconference last month during the hearing against the Valladolid fans.
This court ruling represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in Spanish sport, as until now, sentences had only been handed down for conduct against moral integrity, with the aggravating factor of racism. The fact that the sentence expressly mentions the hate crime associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football.
Last year, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to racist insults against Vinícius. However, that sentence, although it was the first for cases related to racism in Spanish professional football, was not based on a hate crime. The Valencia fans were convicted of a crime against moral integrity, with the aggravating factor of discrimination on racist grounds.
LaLiga presented the initial complaint against Valladolid fans, which was later joined by the player, Real Madrid, and the prosecution.
