On Thursday, a Madrid court ruled that four people arrested for a “hate crime” on suspicion of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr., were barred from entering stadiums, pending their possible trial.
The Madrid court said in a statement that the four suspects, who appeared before a judge at the end of their police custody, were released on bail with a ban until further notice from approaching “less than a thousand meters” from any stadium during La Liga matches.
The statement pointed out that this ban also includes the Real Madrid training center located in the northeast of the Spanish capital, a location close to the place where the doll was hung.
“hate crime”
The four suspects, including three members who the police said were “active in the ultras group of fans of a club in the capital, Madrid,” which the club did not identify, were charged with a “hate crime,” a criminal category that includes racist crimes in Spain.
The doll was found wearing a Vinicius Junior shirt hanged on a bridge on January 26, the same day of the derby match in which Real Madrid beat arch-rivals Atletico 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the King’s Cup, under a banner reading “Madrid hates Real.” .
During their appearance before the judge, the four people adhered to their right to remain silent, according to the Madrid court, which reported that the investigation is continuing pending their possible trial.
These arrests came two days after new racist abuses were exposed to the young striker, during the match on Valencia ground last Sunday in the league, and sparked condemning reactions from all over the world.
The match between Real and Valencia (the royal club lost 0-1) stopped for several minutes, while the referee wrote in his report after the match that the “monkey” chants were directed at Vinicius.
On Monday, the Public Prosecution Office in Valencia opened an investigation into the incident, which was condemned by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in addition to many celebrities and players from all over the world.
