Vinicius Jr: Valencia fans jailed for racially abusing Real Madrid and Brazil star

The three individuals have been jailed for eight months after racially abusing the star at a match at Valencia’s Mestella Stadium on May 21, 2023. Vinicius Jr broke down in tears at a press conference in March while speaking about the abuse he has received from football fans during his time at Spanish champions Real Madrid.

According to league officials, the conviction for racial abuse against a player is the first to be brought against fans in the La Liga history. Officials described the move as “great news for the fight against racism”.

Alongside the eight-month jail sentence, the fans were handed a two-year ban from any venue hosting a La Liga match, or any games held under the jurisdiction of the Spanish football federation. A letter of apology written to Vinicius Jr from the defendants was also read out in court.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said: "This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it goes some way to redressing the disgraceful wrong suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those individuals who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. La Liga will identify them, report them, and there will be criminal consequences.

"I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity. We at La Liga can only respect the pace of justice, but once again we demand that Spanish legislation evolves to give La Liga sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism."

Vinicius Jr joined the Champions League champions in 2017 at the age of 16 for a national record under-18s fee of £38m. At the press conference earlier this year, he said: “I just want to play football, but it’s hard to move forward … I feel less and less like playing. It never crossed my mind (to leave Spain) because, if I leave Spain, I give the racists exactly what they want. I will stay because, that way, the racists can continue to see my face more and more. I’m a bold player, I play for Real Madrid and we win a lot of titles and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”