LALIGA
Seven punished for racist attacks on Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr
Authorities in Spain have hit seven people with fines and stadium bans for their roles in two instances of racial abuse.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been the victim of a number of racist attacks this season. On Monday Spain’s State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport announced that seven people have been punished for their roles in two of the incidents.
The young Brazilian has frequently been the subject of racist chants during his time Spain but a heated game against Valencia last month served to bring renewed attention to his suffering.
Vinicius sought to identify a Valencia supporter who had made racist gestures. He was later sent off after a scuffle in the box but the football world rallied around the young star and his suspension was subsequently quashed.
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What were the punishments for racism against Vinicius?
The seven people punished on Monday can be divided into two groups, involved in two separate incidents that targeted Vinicius.
The first group comprised of three people who made racist gestures towards the Madrid player during the recent game against Valencia. The perpetrators have each been fined €5,000 and banned from all sports venues in the country for one year.
The second group were involved in a shocking incident earlier this year that saw an effigy of the Brazilian hung from a bridge near to the Madrid team’s training ground. An inflatable black figure, wearing Vinicius’ No. 20 shirt, was hung alongside a banner which read ‘Madrid hates Real’.
Eleven days ago four men were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the incident and were released on bail by a court in Madrid. On Monday they each received a fine of €60,000 and a two-year ban from all sport stadiums.
Valencia had their punishment reduced
After the uproar over the treatment of Vinicius, and LaLiga president Javier Tebas’ comments in the aftermath, Spanish football has made a concerted effort to crack down on instances of racism in stadiums.
Valencia were given a partial stadium closure in the aftermath of the game against Madrid in which the referee initiated the racial abuse protocol. The initial punishment was a five-game partial stadium closure and a fine of €45,000.
However the club appealed this decision and it was announced last week that Valencia’s punishment would be reduced. The partial closure of Mestalla was cut to three matches and the fine to €27,000.