Vinicius racial abuse: Madrid file hate crime report against fans

One Real Madrid player, Vinicius has, unfortunately, fallen victim to racist attacks in Spain once again. The unfortunate events developed on Wednesday before Atletico Madrid’s Champions League match against Inter.

Shocking footage of Atletico supporters hurling racial insults surfaced on social media leading up to the encounter. These insults included the word “chimpanzee” at Vinicius. Interestingly, Real Madrid did not play that evening.

The supporters, nevertheless, gathered outside the Metropolitano to chant “Ale, ale, ale, Vinicius chimpanzee” in preparation for the game.

This disgusting behavior was not isolated; in fact, it permeated throughout Atletico Madrid’s Copa Del Rey rivalry against Real Madrid, demonstrating how chronic the problem is.

There have previously been three instances of Atletico supporters being captured on tape racially insulting the winger. After an incident in February 2023 involving a mannequin sporting a Vinicius jersey hanging from a bridge, authorities subsequently arrested four supporters.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans show shocking behavior

Aside from the footage shot outside Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano, comparable footage shot by Barcelona supporters has also surfaced. These occurrences presumably transpired at the Estadi Olimpic before their triumph over Napoli.

In response to the videos, Vinicius claimed, via Twitter: “I hope you have already thought about their punishment Uefa. It’s a sad reality that [it] even happens in games where I’m not present!”

Racist incidents involving the 23-year-old Brazilian plagued La Liga last season. They have subsided somewhat this year, but there is still a chance that they may tarnish the league’s and country’s reputation.

A lot of work remains before the league and the government can be considered successful in their efforts to combat racism. However, La Liga has started to take a more aggressive stance in this regard. To top it all off, Real Madrid have gone a step further by reporting it to the Spanish authorities.

What did Real Madrid say about racial incidents targeting Vinicius?

“Real Madrid has filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office against hate crimes and discrimination, for the racist and hateful insults directed towards our player Vinicius Junior in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic and the Metropolitan Stadium of Madrid”, a statement read.

“Real Madrid is asking the Public Prosecutor’s Office to ask the security forces for the recordings in both locations in order to identify the perpetrators of these racist and hateful insults. We condemn these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hatred that have been taking place, unfortunately repeatedly, against our player Vinicius Junior.

“Our club will continue to work in defence of the values of football and sport, and will remain firm in its fight for zero tolerance in the face of such disgusting episodes as those that continue to occur in recent times.”

In addition, Carlo Ancelotti recently highlighted the necessity of taking strong measures to combat such disgusting behavior. Los Blancos’ coach also praised the club’s zero-tolerance policy on racism.

“The problem is there. Valencia acted well after this [Valencia vs. Real Madrid] episode,” he said. “When you talk about zero tolerance it is zero tolerance for us and for everyone else. It’s necessary to act to avoid these problems and ugly episodes that affect everyone, that affect our society. Criminals should not be on the street.”

Photo credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto : IMAGO / Vicente Vidal Fernandez