Latest Vinícius racist abuse prompts 8th complaint of season

By: Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press Posted: 5:58 AM CDT Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023 Last Modified: 6:05 AM CDT Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Racist insults at Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior by spectators during the game at Barcelona last weekend prompted the Spanish league to file another complaint to judicial authorities.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2023 (1291 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is the eighth such complaint the league has filed regarding racist slurs directed at Vinícius, who is Black, just this season.

The latest incident occurred on Sunday during Barcelona’s 2-1 win that put the host in firm control of the title race.

FILE - Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, and Barcelona's Ronald Araujo fight for the ball during Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 19, 2023. The Spanish league said Thursday, March 23, 2023, that it has filed a complaint to judicial authorities for the racist insults that Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior suffered from rival fans during last week’s Spanish league game at Barcelona. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)

The rivals are set to meet again at Camp Nou on April 5 in the second game of their Copa del Rey semifinal that Barcelona leads 1-0.

Vinícius has been racially abused since arriving in Spain five years ago, though little has been done to punish fans. The attacks seem to have increased as the 22-year-old Brazil forward emerged as one of Madrid’s stars who helped it win the Champions League and Spanish league last season.

This week, Spanish club Mallorca said a fan who racially insulted Vinícius and Villarreal’s Samu Chukwueze during games was banned from holding a club membership for three years. Spain’s anti-violence commission has already proposed a fine of 4,000 euros ($4,300) and a 12-month ban from stadiums for the fan, who may also face criminal charges.

Valladolid recently suspended 12 season ticket-holders while investigating their alleged verbal abuse of Vinícius.

But many of the other attacks have gone unpunished. Authorities, for example, have yet to find those responsible for the hanging of Vinícius’ effigy from a bridge in Madrid before a derby against Atletico Madrid this season.

The league has tried to respond by increasing the number of overseers at matches to try to identify perpetrators, especially when Vinícius plays, and encouraging fans to report incidents of racial abuse.

The first trial against a fan who racially insulted a player in Spain is expected to begin this year following remarks by an Espanyol supporter against Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams a few years ago.

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