May 24, (THEWILL) – Valencia have been fined €45,000 by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and ordered to partially close their stadium for five games, following an incident of racial abuse towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius, who was targeted by fans during the match at Mestalla on Sunday, also had his red card from the game overturned. This means the 22-year-old player will be eligible to play for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano at home on Wednesday.
Expressing his frustration earlier, Vinicius stated, “La Liga belongs to racists”, in response to the abuse he faced from supporters. In the past 48 hours, the Brazilian has garnered widespread support from various football personalities, including Rio Ferdinand, Paul Pogba, and Kylian Mbappe. Pogba, advocating for self-driven solutions, remarked: “If the institutions don’t want to find a real solution, let’s try to do it by ourselves, for ourselves.” He further added, “Vinicius Junior full support bro.”
Subsequently, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case. Among them, three were reportedly involved in the incident at Mestalla, while four others were apprehended on suspicion of hanging an effigy of the player from a Madrid bridge back in January. For the fine and partial stadium closure, Valencia have the option to file an appeal within 10 working days before the Appeals Committee.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
