Valencia supporters jailed for Vini Jr. racist abuse

Three supporters have been sentenced to 8 months in prison and suspended from venues for 2 years over the racist abuse of Vini Junior at Mestalla in the past summer.

BREAKING: Three Valencia fans have been jailed for eight months for abusing Vinicius Jr during a La Liga game in May 2023. This the first criminal conviction for racist abuse of a footballer in Spain 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Sw6kIbR2ch

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 10, 2024

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The episode – which appeared during Los Blancos’ 1-0 loss against Valencia – sparked uproar around the world after the Brazilian superstar identified a fan at the stands who had been racially abusing him, causing the match to be suspended.

Vini later shared his disappointment with the Spanish authorities’ handling of the problem, claiming “racism is normal in LaLiga,” while the league demanded for greater powers to fix the issue.

Today, 3 supporters were found guilty of a crime vs. moral integrity — aggravated by racially motivated discrimination. They were sentenced to a year in prison, reduced by 1⁄3 to 8 months, after admitting their guilt in front of the court.

They were also suspended from watching matches live for 3 years, but again, the punishment was reduced for the same reason.