Tebas, satisfied: “As on other occasions, these were complaints initiated and promoted by LaLiga. And we will continue”
MADRID, 26 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The fan who uttered racist insults at Vinícius Jr and Samu Chukwueze during Real Madrid and Villarreal’s matches against RCD Mallorca at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix in 2023 has received separate sentences for Crimes of Moral Integrity, LaLiga reported on Thursday.
The body chaired by Javier Tebas recalled that it was the one that initiated and promoted both complaints, which were joined by RCD Mallorca and, where appropriate, Real Madrid and Vinícius himself, and which have been resolved by the Court of Instruction number 3 of Palma de Mallorca with separate convictions for Crimes of Moral Integrity “with the aggravating circumstance of discrimination for racist reasons and also applying the mitigating circumstance of repentance.”
The sentences imposed amount to six months in prison and a ban on entry into football stadiums where LALIGA and/or the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) matches are held for one year and six months for each of the offences, meaning that the fan in question, whose season ticket was withdrawn by the Mallorcan club for three years, will be sentenced to a total of one year in prison and three years banned from entering stadiums.
In this regard, Real Madrid indicated in a statement that “the suspension of the prison sentence has been made conditional on the accused, who has apologized and shown his remorse with a letter addressed to Vinicius Júnior, participating in a program of equal treatment and non-discrimination.”
“This is the second sentence handed down for racist incidents that occurred in football stadiums and represents the consolidation of a legal criterion regarding the criminal consequences of this type of behaviour,” LaLiga celebrated, stressing that this “consolidates” the work that it “has been doing for years to eradicate this scourge” from Spanish football.
For its part, the Madrid team recalled that this is “the third criminal conviction handed down in recent months for racist insults” received by its players. “Real Madrid, which has acted as private prosecutor in these proceedings alongside its players, will continue to work to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport,” it said.
Vinícius Jr was subjected to racist insults during the match between RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid on 5 February 2023 and two days later the employers’ association filed a complaint with the Palma de Mallorca Court of Instruction. On 18 February, the racist incident with Samu Chukwueze was repeated in the RCD Mallorca-Villarreal game and LaLiga filed a complaint against the perpetrator again days later, who turned out to be the same as in the case of the Brazilian winger.
On the other hand, the organisation indicated that, also in Palma de Mallorca, an out-of-court settlement has been reached in the case of the minor who insulted and threw water bottles at French midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni in the match between RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid on 13 April.
Under this agreement, ratified by the parties, the minor has agreed to apologize to the player, Real Madrid and LaLiga, to carry out the specific socio-educational activities proposed by the Minors Section of the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Palma de Mallorca, to pay the fines imposed by Anti-Violence that reach 4,000 euros for racist insults and 3,001 for throwing objects onto the pitch, and not to access LaLiga and RFEF stadiums for one year.
“Both actions are the result of the continued work of LaLiga and the clubs, which increasingly count on the support of the rest of the fans to identify and report the perpetrators of these behaviours with the aim of ensuring that they do not go unpunished,” the clubs’ association concluded.
For his part, LaLiga president Javier Tebas also expressed his satisfaction at this new conviction. “As on other occasions, these were complaints initiated and promoted by LaLiga. It is the result of the work we have been doing in recent years to eradicate hatred from our football. And we will continue. There will be no racist chants or chants in a stadium without a criminal conviction,” he warned on his official ‘X’ profile.