A RCD Mallorca fan was sentenced to one year in prison and handed a three-year stadium ban on Thursday for racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze.
The fan was “found guilty of two crimes against moral integrity, aggravated by the fact that he acted with racist motives,” Real Madrid said in a statement.
The abuse aimed at ballon d’or favourite Vinicius occurred during Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga defeat to Mallorca at their Son Moix stadium in February 2023, before the fan insulted Chukwueze, now at AC Milan, a fortnight later.
Madrid stated that the prison sentence was suspended “after the defendant apologised, expressed remorse in a letter addressed to Vinicius, and completed an equality and anti-discrimination program.”
This is the third criminal conviction in recent months for racial remarks directed at Real Madrid players, particularly Vinicius, who has faced multiple incidents of abuse at Spanish stadiums since his arrival in 2018.
In June, three Valencia fans were convicted to eight months in prison for hurling racial remarks at the Brazilian striker at their club’s stadium in May 2023.
These episodes, which drew international anger, have spurred debate in Spain, where racism in sports stadiums has been a long-standing problem.
Madrid also stated that another Mallorca supporter, a youngster who racially assaulted midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, had been banned from stadiums for a year.
“He has apologised and shown remorse for his actions and has agreed to complete socio-educational activities under the jurisdiction of minors, as proposed by prosecutors,” Madrid added.
Earlier in September, Vinicius demanded that Spain lose its 2030 World Cup hosting rights unless progress is made in combating racism in stadiums.
On Sunday, Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid in a derby at the Metropolitano stadium, where Vinicius has previously been subjected to racial insults.
