Five people have instructed a year in prison for racial abuse of Real Madrid Vooruit Vinicius Junior.
The provincial court of Valladolid condemned all five hate crimes with regard to incidents in a competition in the Jose Zorrilla Stadium in December 2022.
The suspension of their penalties is conditional for the defendants, “who apologized and expressed their regret in a letter addressed to Vinicius”, not in attending football stages where official sports matches are held for three years or commit further violations.
Fines ranging from 1,080 euros (£ 913) to 1,620 euros (£ 1,369) were also imposed.
“Thanks to the efforts of Laliga, who filed the complaint and initially acted as the only private persecution – later accompanied by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the office of the public prosecutor – this exemplary statement has been reached,” read a Lalisa statement.
“This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where statements had tackled behavior against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor.
“The fact that this statement explicitly refers to hate crimes related to racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no room in football.”
Real Madrid said that the beliefs of hate crimes “offer unique recognition of the offensive nature of this behavior”.
“Real Madrid, which in this case has followed as a private public prosecutor and in many others who are currently underway for similar events, will continue to work to protect the values ​​of our club and to eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport,” read a statement.
Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse for a number of years, with recent convictions for violations in Valencia, Mallorca and Madrid, with online abuse also the subject of criminal persecutions.