La Liga announced on Wednesday that five people have been handed suspended prison sentences for racist abuse towards Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, Afrosport reports.
The 24-year-old Brazilian superstar was subjected to abuse when he was substituted in an away game against Valladolid in September 2022.
The Provincial Court of Valladolid has sentenced the five people involved in the incident to a one-year suspended prison sentence, with the condition that they will not commit any further offences in the next three years.
They will also not attend any matches within the same period and have been handed out fines between €1,080 and €1,620.
La Liga, in a statement, said the ruling was an “unprecedented milestone” as it is the first time racist insults in a football stadium have been condemned as a hate crime in Spain.
“Thanks to the efforts of La Liga, which filed the complaint and initially acted as the sole private prosecution – later joined by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the Public Prosecutor’s Office – this exemplary ruling has been achieved,” The Spanish premier division said in a statement per BBC Sport.
“This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where, until now, rulings had addressed conduct against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor.
“The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football.”
Three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison last June for insulting shouts, chants and gestures towards Vinicius, while a Mallorca fan who abused Vinicius and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze back in 2023 was handed a suspended prison sentence last September.
