Hanged Vini Jr doll appears on Madrid bridge – 01/26/2023 – Sport

In the early hours of the morning of this Thursday (26), the Madrid police removed a doll dressed in the shirt of Brazilian player Vinicius Jr. who was hanging from a city bridge, as if he were hanged.

At the top, there was a red banner where you could read “Madrid hates Real”. Vini Jr, as the player is known, is a striker for Real Madrid. On Thursday night (21:00 local time), his team faces city rival Atlético de Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.

Videos showing the objects during that night circulate on Spanish social networks. No one has filed a complaint, but the case is under investigation, as it is a “dangerous, offensive and subject to criminal prosecution”.

Atlético de Madrid, La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation issued a statement strongly condemning the act.

According to the club, “facts like this are absolutely disgusting and inadmissible and embarrass society. The rivalry between the two clubs is maximum, but so is respect. (…) We do not know the author or authors of this despicable act, but anonymity does not exempts you from responsibility. We hope that the authorities can clarify what happened and that justice will help to banish this type of behavior”.

Vini Jr. has faced constant racist attacks by opposing fans in Spain. Last September, in a match against Alético de Madrid, the Brazilian was forced to hear the opposing crowd calling him a “monkey”.

“All these people who are racist have to pay in some way. May the Atlético fans who did this never be able to enter a stadium again”, said the player at the time. Nothing, however, happened.

Earlier this month, La Liga, which organizes the Spanish championship, announced that it was following up on two complaints of racism that occurred during a Real Madrid game with Valladolid.

At the time, Vini Jr. complained that La Liga did nothing, which was refuted by the president of the institution, Javier Tebas, when he said that the Brazilian should be better informed.