Alex Trelinski
THREE Valencia football fans have been given eight-month prison sentences and a two-year football stadium ban for shouting racist insults at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.
The trio will also have to pay legal costs and have made a formal apology to the player and his club.
A letter of apology to Vinicius and Real Madrid was read out before the court.
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On May 21, 2023, a La Liga clash between Valencia and Real Madrid at the Mestalla stadium was halted after Vinicius reported hearing the racist comments coming from a section of the ground.
The match was stopped for a few minutes, as he identified one of the accused and two other offenders were later spotted on the club’s internal camera system.
With the three pleading guilty, the Valencian Prosecutor for Hate Crimes, Susana Gisbert, agreed to lower the punishments after initially calling for a one-year jail term and a three-year stadium ban.
Under the Spanish legal system, the men will no serve prison time as it is a first offence and below two years.
