Five guilty of hate crimes for racist abuse of Vinicius Jr

Five people have been handed suspended prison sentences for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr in an "unprecedented" ruling in Spain, La Liga said on Wednesday.

Spain's top division said it is the first time racist insults in a football stadium have been condemned as a hate crime in Spain.

Vinicius, 24, appeared to be subjected to racist abuse during a game against Real Valladolid in September 2022 while he walked past fans after being substituted at Jose Zorrilla stadium.

The Provincial Court of Valladolid gave the five offenders a one-year prison sentence, which has been suspended on the condition they do not commit any further offence in the next three years.

They are also not allowed to attend any matches within the same period.

The court also handed out fines to the five individuals that range between 1,080 euro (£913) and 1,620 euro (£1,369).

"Thanks to the efforts of La Liga, which filed the complaint and initially acted as the sole private prosecution - later joined by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the Public Prosecutor's Office - this exemplary ruling has been achieved," La Liga said in a statement.

"This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where, until now, rulings had addressed conduct against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor.

"The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football."

Brazil international Vinicius has faced racist abuse several times during his time in Spain.

In June 2024, Vinicius said "I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists" after three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing him in May 2023.