It was announced by La Liga this Monday that three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison due to racist insults against Brazilian Vinicius Júnior, from Real Madrid, during a game at the Mestalla Stadium, on May 21, 2023.
In addition to prison, those found guilty will have to pay fines and are banned from entering any football stadium where La Liga or Spanish national team games are played.
✅ LALIGA lands first conviction in Spain for racist abuse at a football match.
🧑⚖️ The three perpetrators who insulted@vinijr in Mestalla were sentenced to 8 months imprisonment, given a 2-year bans from enter a stadium, and ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.
— LALIGA Corporate (@LaLigaCorp) June 10, 2024
In the note released by the Spanish entity, it was informed that, during the hearing, the accused read a letter of apology to Vinicius Júnior, Real Madrid and La Liga. The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, celebrated the first conviction of this type handed down in Spain.
“This decision is great news when it comes to the fight against racism in Spain, as it repairs the harm suffered by Vinicius Jr. and sends a clear message to people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them,” he said.
The conviction comes just over a year after the act. Javier Tebas lamented the delay in justice, but highlighted that Spain guarantees “judicial integrity”.
“I understand that there may be some frustration with the time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity. As such, we at La Liga can only respect the pace of justice, but once again demand that Spanish legislation evolves so that La Liga has sanctioning powers that can accelerate the fight against racism”, he said.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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