After the racist hostilities against soccer player Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, an investigation was initiated against three suspects. The responsible judge in Valencia decided to start investigations, the Spanish judiciary announced.
The three young suspects were arrested on Tuesday and then released under conditions. They are accused of racially insulting the 22-year-old Brazilian from the stands in Los Blancos’ game at Valencia (0-1) on Sunday. It’s about a “possible hate crime,” the communiqué said. In the matter, the Spanish professional league appears as a private prosecutor.
The incidents were recorded in the match report of the referee. A fine of 45,000 euros was imposed on Valencia CF. In addition, the south stand of the Mestalla Stadium was partially closed for five games. This ban has now been reduced to three games, as announced by the Spanish association.
After the incident, Vinicius accused the Spanish professional league on Twitter of considering racism as “normal”. League boss Javier Tebas initially rejected this accusation and emphasized that nine racist incidents had been reported to the judiciary this season. He later apologized to Vinicius for his irritated reply, saying his organization’s hands were tied by the law. He claimed on Thursday he could eradicate racism in Spanish football in six months if the league were given proper powers.