Three Valencia fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison after being found guilty of racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
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Valencia fans sent to prisonLandmark case in SpainFirst conviction as a result of La Liga complaintWHAT HAPPENED?
Vinicius was racially abused during Real Madrid's clash with Valencia in 2023 at the Mestalla Stadium. The Brazil international directly pointed out the three fans who had abused him in the stands, as the referee brought the game to a halt, and there has now been a conviction in a first for Spanish football.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The fans were found guilty of a "crime against moral integrity" with "aggravating circumstance of discrimination based on racist motives." The trio have been sent to prison for eight months – reduced from 12 – and have been banned from entering any Spanish football stadium for a period of three years. It is the first time supporters have been imprisoned based on an initial criminal complaint from La Liga.
WHAT LA LIGA SAID
In a statement, per BBC Sport, La Liga president Javier Tebas said: "This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it goes some way to redressing the disgraceful wrong suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those individuals who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse.
"La Liga will identify them, report them, and there will be criminal consequences.
“I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity.
"We at La Liga can only respect the pace of justice, but once again we demand that Spanish legislation evolve to give La Liga sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism."
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Vinicius is thriving regardless of the views of moronic supporters and is now preparing to play for Brazil at the Copa America. First, though, they face the USMNT on Thursday in a warm-up friendly.