Spanish Court Suspends One-Year Sentence for Fan Involved in Racist Abuse of Vinícius Júnior and Samuel Chukwueze

A Spanish court has handed down a one-year suspended sentence to a soccer fan for racially abusing Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, the club announced on Thursday. The incidents occurred during matches at Mallorca’s stadium in early 2023, where the defendant hurled racist insults at the Black players from the stands.

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, the court in Mallorca ruled that the individual is banned from attending any matches organized by La Liga or the Spanish Football Federation for the next three years.

The court decided to suspend the one-year prison term after the defendant expressed remorse, apologized to Vinícius Júnior through a letter, and completed an anti-discrimination program, according to Real Madrid’s statement.

The press office for the Balearic Islands courts could not immediately provide confirmation of the ruling when contacted by The Associated Press.

Vinícius Júnior, the Brazilian forward, has been the target of multiple racial abuse incidents in and outside of soccer stadiums in Spain. He recently called for action, stating that Spain should not be considered as a host for the 2030 FIFA World Cup unless stronger measures are implemented to tackle racism in football.

Earlier in June, three Valencia supporters were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing Vinícius during a match, marking the first convictions for racism-related offenses in Spanish professional soccer.