La Liga

Real Madrid lodge hate crime complaint to Spanish prosecutors after racist abuse of Vinicius Junior

May 22, 2023

Real Madrid has denounced the racism targeted at Vinicius Junior as a ‘hate crime’ and has lodged a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

During Real Madrid’s 1-0 LaLiga defeat against Valencia on Sunday, Brazilian forward Vinicius was reportedly subjected to a racist incident.

Valencia authorities have stated that the police have identified a fan who made racist gestures towards Vinicius, and that person is now facing a lifetime ban from the Mestalla stadium.

The match was momentarily halted after halftime when Vinicius pointed out to the referee those individuals in the stands who were allegedly abusing him. Later, the 22-year-old took to social media, acknowledging that racism is unfortunately ‘normal’ in LaLiga.

In a strongly-worded statement issued on Monday, Real Madrid CF expressed its strongest condemnation and revulsion for the events that occurred against their player, Vinicius Junior.