Spanish prosecutor requests four years in prison for hate crime against Vinicius Jr – 12/05/2023 – Sport

A Spanish prosecutor said on Tuesday (5) that he requested four year prison sentences for four football fans in a hate crime case opened after a doll dressed in the shirt of Real Madrid’s Brazilian Vinicius Jr was hanging from a bridge in January.

A banner reading “Madrid hates Real” and an inflatable doll dressed in a replica of Vinicius’ number 20 shirt appeared hanging from a bridge near the club’s training center before a match against rivals Atlético de Madrid in 26 of January.

The prosecutor accused four members of the radical far-right group Frente Atlético, who are followers of Atlético de Madrid, of making threats against Vinicius and also of infringing fundamental rights, a statement from the prosecutor’s office said.

The four showed “an unmistakable sign of contempt and disgust for the color of the victim’s skin and an attempt to undermine the victim’s peace of mind,” the statement said.

The prosecutor also requested joint compensation of 6,000 euros (R$32,100) for moral damages caused to the football player.

The four men, who refused to testify when they were arrested in May, were released on bail after a court banned them from approaching Vinicius or communicating with him. They were also banned from entering Real’s stadium and training center, as well as Atlético’s playing venue.

Vinicius Jr was in the spotlight in Spain earlier this year after calling Spain’s LaLiga football league and the country itself racist following verbal abuse from fans he suffered during another Real match in Valencia in May.

The game was stopped for 10 minutes while the Brazilian striker pointed at the fans who were insulting him. He was then involved in an altercation with some Valencia players, which resulted in him being sent off in the second half.

The sporting world has shown solidarity with the 23-year-old since then, and the Brazilian government has called for severe sanctions against those responsible for the racist insults.

In October, Vinicius testified as a witness in a judicial investigation against three fans accused of making racist gestures against him during the match in Valencia. He was also summoned to give evidence in a similar case regarding insults at the Mallorca stadium in February.