Madrid, June 10 Real Madrid have announced that three fans have been arrested and also handed Stadium life bans after they got into an altercation with Vinicius Jr over racial abuse at the Mestalla stadium during the match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF.
The match took place on May 21 during the 2022/23 season, Vinicius identified a fan directing racial abuse towards the Brazilian which led to an on-field altercation with Valencia players which saw the number seven get a red card.
“The three defendants have been declared guilty of a crime against the moral integrity of Vinicius Junior, aggravated by having acted with racist motivations, and each of them has been sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from accessing football stadiums. football for a period of two years," read the statement posted by Real Madrid on their official website.
"The three accused have accepted their criminal responsibility and have made public a letter of apology addressed to our player Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid CF, and the rest of the people who felt denigrated and offended by their behaviour. In addition to showing their regret, the three accused ask fans in their letter to banish all vestiges of racism and intolerance in the competitions,” the statement said.
Real Madrid went on to lose the game against Valencia with a 1-0 scoreline.
Vinicius Jr has been the subject of racial abuse on many occasions since his move to Los Blancos. Atletico Madrid faithful have used such slurs several times towards the 23-year-old, but the ruling sets a new precedent as it is the first time such a decision has taken place.
“This is the first conviction for acts of this nature handed down by criminal courts and tribunals.
"Real Madrid, which has brought private prosecution together with Vinicius Junior 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,” added the statement.
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