Vinicius Junior~, a Brazilian forward for Real Madrid, was subjected to racial taunts during a match against Valencia on Sunday. Three persons have been held by Spanish police in connection with the incident, and four more suspects have been detained in connection with an effigy of the player that was hung from a bridge in Madrid four months earlier.
The Policia Nacional announced in a brief statement on Tuesday morning that three young men had been detained in Valencia for engaging in “racist behavior” during the game at the city’s Mestalla stadium. Hours earlier, the police had disclosed that four persons had been detained on suspicion of hate crimes in connection with the 26 January hanging of an inflatable doll wearing Vinicius’ stripe from a bridge in the Spanish city.
Vinicius Junior, a Brazilian forward for Real Madrid, was subjected to racial taunts during a match against Valencia on Sunday. Three persons have been held by Spanish police in connection with the incident, and four more suspects have been detained in connection with an effigy of the player that was hung from a bridge in Madrid four months earlier. The Policia Nacional announced in a brief statement on Tuesday morning that three young men had been detained in Valencia for engaging in “racist behavior” during the game at the city’s Mestalla stadium.
Hours earlier, the police had disclosed that four persons had been detained on suspicion of hate crimes in connection with the 26 January hanging of an inflatable doll wearing Vinicius’ stripe from a bridge in the Spanish city. It is believed to be established that Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, was the target of racial slurs during the aforementioned match, as noted by the referee in his minutes. This changed the regular flow of the game, and the infractions were treated seriously.
Politicians in Spain also denounced the racist behavior. Football should be free of racism, the prime minister declared. He added: “Sport is based on the values of tolerance and respect. Both in our society and in the game of football, hatred and xenophobia have no place. Racism and sport are “totally incompatible,” according to hardline People’s Party leader Alberto Nez Feijoo.
Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian manager of Real Madrid, claimed that the racial taunts, in which Vinicius was repeatedly referred to as a “monkey,” showed that “something bad is happening in this league.” Over the past two seasons, the Spanish league has filed nine formal charges of racial abuse against Vinicius, the majority of which have been dropped. Although there have been fines and stadium bans for fans, only one Mallorca fan may wind up in court for allegedly making derogatory remarks to a Brazilian fan during a match.
On Tuesday night, Valencia was given a five-game suspension and a €45,000 (£39,000) fine. “Valencia is also subject to a €45,000 economic sanction.” Valencia announced that it had permanently barred one of its supporters and was looking to identify more. The club released a statement saying, “The club has analyzed all the footage available, working with the authorities as quickly as possible to clarify what happened.”
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