A court in the Spanish city of has sentenced three football fans to eight years in prison for racially abusing and star striker Vinicius Junior.
The trio, whose names have not been made public, were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives.
As is common with jail sentences under two years in , the sentences are suspended. The three men have also been banned from Spanish football stadiums for two years and were ordered to pay all legal costs.
The sentence marks the after several similar cases had been shelved in the past.
Why were the 3 fans charged?
During a Spanish league game between Valencia and Real Madrid at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium on May 21, 2023, the three men were found to have shouted racist insults at Vinicius and made racist “monkey” gestures in the direction of the 23-year-old.
The men , but the incident caused the match to be briefly halted and later caused uproar in Spain and an .
Many saw it as a turning point in the fight against racism in Spanish football, although Vinicius continued to be subjected to racist abuse several months afterwards, with some commentators and pundits even suggesting that Vinicius’ own behavior on the pitch was to blame.
In handing down the sentence, the court said that the men’s shouts and gestures had caused Vinicius to suffer “feelings of frustration, shame and humiliation which undermined his dignity.”
The defendants all pleaded guilty, demonstrated regret and accepted their legal culpability.
In a letter of apology to Vinicius, and anybody else who felt insulted by their actions, they also appealed to fellow fans to kick racism and intolerance out of the game.
mf/wmr (dpa, AP)
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