Eight-Month Prison Sentence for Racist Insults Directed at Vinícius
Three Valencia fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison and a two-year ban from entering football stadiums for what happened on May 21, 2023, at Mestalla.
Three Valencia fans were sentenced on Monday to eight months in prison and banned from entering football stadiums for two years for uttering racist insults against Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr at Mestalla, in addition to paying the legal costs.
All parties reached a plea agreement in a swift hearing, resulting in the defendants being convicted of a crime against moral integrity with the aggravating factor of hatred. "Given the recognition of the facts by the defendants, we adhere to the agreement," said Hate Crimes Prosecutor Susana Gisbert, followed by similar statements from other representatives.
The mitigating factor of remorse, which included a written apology requested by Vinícius Jr and Real Madrid and the verbal acknowledgment of remorse during the hearing, led to a one-third reduction in the sentence. Thus, the initial penalty of twelve months in prison was reduced to eight, and the ban of three years from attending matches in stadiums where Liga or Spanish Federation matches are held was reduced to two.
The defense lawyers for the three accused individuals requested the suspension of the prison sentence, a request included in the agreement reached by the Prosecutor's Office, LaLiga, the Spanish Federation, Real Madrid, and Vinícius, which now needs to be confirmed by the judge.
On May 21, 2023, during a match between Valencia and Real Madrid, Vinicius reported receiving racist insults from fans in the Fan Zone. The match was halted for a few minutes, the player identified one of the accused, and, after LaLiga's complaint that same night, two others were identified using Valencia's internal cameras.