Real Madrid Accomplishes First Sentencing to Racist Fans

By: Melissa Sanders

The football industry’s global net worth is over 3 billion dollars. Much of sports media today is considered entertainment for fans to watch, not a career for footballers to have. Fans at games worldwide, whether basketball, baseball, American football, etc., have lost the art of respecting the players. Athletes have become animals in a ring, expected to perform, rather than humans with real emotions and feelings. This summer, three football fans found out the hard way that actions have consequences, even in an arena surrounded by thousands. In May of this year in Madrid, Spain, three Valencia fans were caught racially abusing.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr by way of abhorrent gestures mimicking monkeys, as well as shouting slurs and other obscenities. Vinicius was told to ignore the torment and stick to his job, and yet he was determined to send a message to racists everywhere. Real Madrid steadily supported the players fight in court, and was rewarded by a sentencing ruling the crime to be “against moral integrity — aggravated by racially motivated discrimination — under article 173.1 of Spain’s Criminal Code.” (Kirkland and Faez, 2024). The fans are facing 8 months in prison and a 2 year ban of stadiums everywhere, reduced from a 12 month prison sentence and a 3 year stadium ban. This is the first allegation and action of its kind taken in Spain.
La Liga’s president, the first division league in Spain, praised the legal charges and is confident that this will build the momentum to prevent these instances from happening in the future. Vinicius made it clear that he refuses to watch his community suffer in vain, powerfully stating, “I’m not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It’s for all black people.” Vinicius took action against blatant racism when the resounding voice washing over him was “just let it go”. Let this be a reminder to fight back against microaggressions, hate speech, and acts of violence even when you are the only one, even when it is uncomfortable, and even when being a bystander is easier.

Kirkland, A., & Faez, R. (n.d.). Valencia fans jailed for Real Madrid’s vinícius racial
abuse. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40318791/valencia-fans-jailed-real-
madrid-vinicius-racial-abuse