Vinicius Junior has responded after three Valencia football fans were sentenced to prison for hate crimes for racist abuse hurled at the Real Madrid striker during a La Liga match, promoting himself as “a tormentor of racists”.
Three fans were found guilty of racist behavior against Vinicius during a May 2023 match between Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Valencia. They were sentenced to eight months in prison. The Valencia Peace Court handed down the sentence this Monday along with a statement.
“The sentence handed down today, which is firm, proves that the three accused insulted Vinicius with shouts, gestures and chants referring to the color of his skin,” the statement reads.
“These racist shouts and gestures, consisting among other things of the repetition of sounds and imitations of monkey movements, caused the footballer to feel feelings of frustration, shame and humiliation, with the consequent impairment of his intrinsic dignity.”
The conviction is the first for Spanish football fans accused of racist behavior towards players.
The convicts, whose names were not revealed, pleaded guilty to the charges. According to Reuters, are first-time offenders and are likely to avoid serving their sentences. It is common in the Spanish legal system that first-time offenders sentenced to less than two years in prison for non-violent crimes have their sentences suspended.
They are prohibited from accessing football stadiums for two years and are ordered to pay the costs of the judicial process.
Vinicius was satisfied with the sentence and responded with a statement on social networks.
Many asked him to ignore him, others said that his fight was empty and that he should just “play football.”
But, as always, I am not a victim of racism. Eu sou algoz de racists. That first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not because of me. And for… https://t.co/NdezpJBjF2
—Vini Jr. (@vinijr) June 10, 2024
“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football,'” Vinicius wrote, via translation. “But, as I have always said, I am not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists.
“This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It is for all black people. Let other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I will be here to collect. Thanks to La Liga and To Real Madrid for helping in this historic conviction. More to come…”
The incident took place during the 2023 match between the La Liga rivals held in Valencia. The match, which Valencia won 1-0, was briefly stopped during the second half due to racist insults against Vinicius, an international star from Brazil. who is frequently attacked by racist bigots. A voice over the public address system declared during the strike: “Racist behavior from certain viewers would not be tolerated.”
Vinicius promised on social media after the incident to “go to the end against racists.”
“It was not the first time, nor the second nor the third,” Vinicius wrote. “Racism is normal in the league. …I am strong and I will go to the end against racists. Even though it’s far from here.”
The League pledged to investigate the incident which ultimately led to criminal charges against the abusers. La Liga president Javier Tebas issued a statement on Monday.
“This sentence is great news for the fight against racism in Spain since it repairs the damage suffered by Vinicius Jr. and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to insult that La Liga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them,” the statement reads.
real Madrid also issued a statement:
“Real Madrid, which has initiated private prosecution together with Vinicius Júnior in this procedure, will continue working to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport.”
