“Hass crimes”
Court occurs historical judgment in the Vinícius Júnior case
21.05.2025 – 5:34 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
In Spain, a court for the first time classified racist abuse in the football stadium as a hate crime. The decision sets a clear sign.
After racist insults against FIFA world footballer Vinícius Júnior, five football fans have been sentenced to a one-year prison sentence on probation. According to the Spanish La Liga, which announced the sentence on Wednesday, the judicial decision was an “unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism”.
According to this, a judgment was made for the first time in Spain, in which racist insults in a football stadium were classified as “hate crimes” and not as a “action against moral integrity with an aggravating racist factor”.
The incident occurred on December 30, 2022 during the league game between Real Valladolid and Real Madrid. Vinícius Júnior, then as now for the “royal”, was the goal of racist hostility of spectators in the stands. The investigation now led to a legal classification that had not yet existed in Spain. In addition to the prison sentence for probation, the convicted persons were occupied, among other things, with fines of up to 1620 euros and a ban on profession in the education, leisure and sports sector.
“The fact that this judgment expressly refers to hate crimes related to racist insults increases the message that intolerance has no place in football,” announced the Spanish league. She was “continued to work with the authorities and associations to ensure that football remains a safe, respectful and integrative space for everyone”.