MADRID (AP) — The Spanish league on Tuesday filed criminal complaints against Valladolid fans who aimed racist insults against Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior.
The league said it presented audiovisual evidence of the insults in filing a complaint of hate crimes to local courts. The league also asked the Spanish soccer federation to look into the incident and consider a possible punishment for Valladolid.
Vinícius took to social media to complain about the insults he was subjected to during Madrid’s 2-0 win at Valladolid on Friday. The Brazil international said “racists continue going to stadiums” and “the league isn’t doing anything” about it.
It wasn’t the first time Vinícius, who is Black, has been targeted by racists while playing in Spain.
Last year, a large group of Atlético Madrid fans chanted “Vinícius, you are a monkey” outside Metropolitano Stadium before Madrid’s 2-1 win in September. Spanish state prosecutors closed a probe into that case citing a lack of sufficient evidence to identify potential perpetrators of the hate crime.
Vinícius was also targeted by a fan who racially insulted him after a “clásico” against Barcelona in 2021.
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