A Mallorca fan, who racially abused Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze as well as Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence after he was found guilty by a court in the Spanish city of Palma.
The fan, whose name was not made public, directed racial insults at Vinicius when Los Blancos visited the Son Moix Stadium on February 5, 2023, to take on Mallorca in a La Liga match, as supporters could be clearly heard directing monkey chants at the Madrid No. 7.
The same individual also subjected Chukwueze to similar abuse at the Mallorca stadium two weeks later while the Nigerian was still donning the colours of Villarreal.
However, he has now been found guilty of two offences of infringing on moral integrity, aggravated by having racist motives, according to a statement released by Real Madrid on Thursday.
Comunicado Oficial.#RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 26, 2024
Along with the suspended prison sentence, the defendant has also been handed a three-year stadium ban, which applies to all La Liga competitions as well as matches organised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Madrid’s statement also highlighted that the defendant’s suspended sentence was only made possible after he apologised to Vinicius through a letter addressed to the Brazilian, and he was also made to complete an equality and anti-discrimination program.
Los Blancos also added that this marked the third criminal conviction regarding racist abuse directed at their players.
The Spanish club also revealed that a minor who racially insulted France international Aurelien Tchouameni at the same Son Moix Stadium during a match involving Mallorca and Real Madrid on April 13, 2024, has “apologised and shown remorse for his conduct”.
Additionally, he has agreed to complete get educated as regards socio-ethnic matters in the jurisdiction of minors as proposed by Prosecutors”, and along with serving a one-year ban from football stadiums hosting official matches, he must pay a fine imposed on him by the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport.
The club showed solidarity and vounched to continue standing by its places. Their statement read: “Real Madrid, who have been involved in the trials alongside their players as private prosecution, will continue working to uphold the values of our club and eradicate any racist conduct from the world of football or sport.”
