Products You May Like
LaLiga has formally reported racist insults aimed at Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid‘s game at Real Valladolid on Friday to a local court, the league announced on Tuesday.
Videos published on social media showed the Brazil winger being racially abused by Valladolid fans as he walked around the edge of the pitch after being substituted late in the second half during Madrid’s 2-0 win.
Vinicius, 22, subsequently criticised the action LaLiga has taken to deal with racism, saying the league “continues to do nothing” — an accusation that LaLiga president Javier Tebas described as “unfortunate” and “unfair.”
The winger has spoken out against racist abuse on three occasions since joining Madrid in July 2018 — away at Barcelona in October 2021, at Mallorca in March 2022 and at Atletico Madrid last September. LaLiga filed formal complaints each time, but prosecutors repeatedly decided not to pursue a case.
“LaLiga has presented formal complaints to the appropriate judicial, administrative and sporting bodies over the racist insults against the player Vinicius Junior during the game between Real Valladolid and Real Madrid during the last matchday,” the league said in a statement on Tuesday.
“A criminal complaint for hate crimes has been filed with the court in Valladolid, accompanied by the audiovisual evidence gathered in the investigation, which has been carried out with sound and images published on open sources.
“At the same time, as has been the case for several seasons, a complaint has been filed with the RFEF Competition Committee and the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport.”
After the incident outside the Metropolitano stadium before the Madrid derby — when Atletico fans were filmed directing racist chants at Vinicius — prosecutors found that the chants, while “unpleasant” and “disrespectful,” had “only lasted a few seconds” and did not constitute a crime.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti called for “zero tolerance” for racism in his news conference on Monday, calling it “a cultural problem in society,” but refused to criticise LaLiga’s response.
Vinicius has been rested for Madrid’s Copa del Rey round-of-32 tie away at Cacereno on Tuesday along with six other first team players.