A fan of Mallorca, who racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze, was handed a one-year prison sentence and a three-year stadium ban on Thursday.
The individual was found guilty of two crimes against moral integrity, aggravated by racial motives, according to a statement from Real Madrid. The abuse of Vinicius occurred during Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga loss to Mallorca at Son Moix Stadium in February 2023. Two weeks later, the same fan insulted Chukwueze, who now plays for AC Milan.
Though the one-year prison sentence was suspended after the fan expressed remorse and wrote an apology letter to Vinicius, he was required to complete an equality and anti-discrimination program.
This is the third criminal conviction in recent months related to racist insults against Real Madrid players, particularly Vinicius, who has faced repeated racist abuse since his arrival in Spain in 2018.
Earlier in June, three Valencia fans received eight-month prison sentences for directing racial slurs at the Brazilian forward during a match in May 2023.
Real Madrid also confirmed that a minor from Mallorca, who racially abused their midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, has been banned from attending stadiums for a year and will undergo socio-educational activities under the supervision of prosecutors.
Vinicius Junior, who has frequently been targeted with racial abuse in various stadiums, recently urged that Spain be stripped of its 2030 World Cup hosting duties unless substantial progress is made on tackling racism in football.
Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid in a derby match this Sunday at the Metropolitano Stadium, where Vinicius has also been subjected to racial abuse on multiple occasions.
