March 16, (THEWILL)- Real Madrid have taken legal action against the perpetrators of racist abuse aimed at their forward, Vinicius Junior. In an official statement on Thursday, the Spanish giants confirmed lodging a complaint with prosecutors over “racist and hateful insults” directed at the Brazilian international.
The 22-year-old has frequently endured sickening racist taunts from opposition fans in La Liga this season. Disturbingly, videos circulated on social media appeared to capture Atletico Madrid and Barcelona supporters chanting vile racist slurs about Vinicius ahead of recent matches. One Barca fan group was even filmed chanting “Vinicius, die.”
Vinicius himself expressed dismay at the latest incidents, tweeting: “I hope you have already thought about their punishment” directly at UEFA and the Champions League organisers. His club stated the abuse constitutes “violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hatred” which “continue to occur repeatedly” against the young forward.
La Liga has confirmed contacting prosecutors specialising in hate crimes over the Vinicius taunts. An investigation was already underway regarding racist abuse he suffered from Valencia fans on March 2, which saw that club issue stadium bans. Real reiterated their “zero tolerance” stance, vowing to defend the values of football against such “disgusting episodes.”
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.
