Four people involved in a hate campaign against Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior ahead of the derby between Real Madrid and Atlético on 29 September (1-1) have been arrested, Spanish police announced on Thursday.
Identified according to the Spanish press as Atlético fans, the latter are considered the alleged instigators of the “#metropolitanoconmascarillas” (Metropolitan with masks) campaign, which went viral on social networks, in which they invited people to come and watch the Madrid derby with surgical masks over the mouth to be able to freely insult opposing players, in particular Vinicius.
The Spanish Football League then filed a complaint for incitement to hatred, the reason given by the police for their arrest on 14 and 15 October. They are accused of inciting fans to go to the stadium “to utter humiliating and discriminatory insults with racist connotations”, explains the police in their statement without however directly naming the Brazilian striker, victim of numerous racist acts on the sidelines of La Liga matches. since his arrival in Spain in 2018, in particular by Colchoneros fans.
Three criminal convictions in recent months
In June 2023, four Ultra Atlético fans, accused of hanging a mannequin bearing the likeness of Vinicius Jr from a bridge in the Spanish capital, were banned from stadiums for two years by Spanish authorities. The criminal case opened against them is still ongoing.
On September 26, a fan of Spanish club Mallorca was also sentenced to 12 months in prison and a three-year stadium ban for racist insults against Real Madrid star and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze. This is the third criminal conviction issued in recent months for racist insults against Real Madrid players, including Vinicius Junior.
On June 10, three Valencia fans were also sentenced to eight months in prison for having uttered racist insults in their club’s stadium in May 2023, already against the Brazilian striker.
These incidents, which caused a wave of international indignation, had sparked debate in Spain, where cases of racism have been frequent for decades in football stadiums, despite the actions of the authorities. Having become a figure in the fight against racism in Spanish football, Vinicius Jr has often been the target, but only some of these incidents have resulted in sanctions.
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