Fans who hung Vini Jr. on bridge are forbidden to approach the stadium

The four fans arrested in Spain for hanging a doll on a bridge, which represented the Brazilian striker Vinícius Júnior, from the Real Madrid, are prohibited from coming closer than one kilometer to any football stadium. The announcement was made by the Spanish court on Thursday.

After their arrest on Tuesday and a hearing with a judge, the four “hate crime” suspects were released on parole and banned, until further notice, from coming “within 1,000 metres” of a football stadium. La Liga on match days, a Madrid court said in a statement.

In the midst of a scandal over the racist insults proffered against the Real Madrid player, the removal order also involves the club’s training center, northeast of the Spanish capital, close to where a doll wearing Vinícius Júnior’s uniform was hung on a bridge to simulate a hanging.

The four arrested – three of them members of groups of radical fans – were accused of crimes against moral integrity and hate crimes, as racist offenses are framed in Spain. Both remained silent during the hearing, which announced the continuation of investigations.

The doll with the Vini Jr uniform was hung from a bridge on January 26, the day of a match between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid for the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. Next to the doll was a banner with the phrase “Madrid hates Real”.

The arrest of the four took place on Tuesday, two days after a match spanish league in Valencia, in which supporters of the local team called the Brazilian “monkey” and simulated the animal’s sounds. Vinícius denounced the attack even during the match.

The incident sparked outrage in Spain and abroad, forcing Spanish football’s governing bodies and authorities to take action against racism, an issue that has never been properly addressed in the country.