Towards closing the racism file in La Liga: fan faces two years in prison after insulting Vinicius
He described him as a "monkey"!
Two years after the incident that rocked the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, a Sevilla fan finally stands before justice tomorrow, Tuesday, to face a possible prison sentence after turning a football match into a public racist trial against Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.
The accused faces a possible prison sentence of one year and nine months, the penalty requested by the Spanish public prosecution on a charge of "violating moral integrity", according to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".
It all dates back to the Sevilla and Real Madrid match in 2023. The trial had been scheduled to begin last April before being postponed to Tuesday.
According to the indictment, the incident occurred between the 83rd and 86th minutes, when the accused was sitting in his seat in the northern stand very close to the pitch.
He repeatedly approached Vinicius and unleashed a torrent of racist insults on him "with clear contempt for the colour of his black skin", as the prosecution described.
Details of the documented insult against the fan
The public prosecution did not merely describe the incident as a general insult. It precisely defined the nature of the crime committed, which generated in the Brazilian player feelings of "frustration, shame and humiliation, causing damage to his dignity".
Those racist gestures, the indictment revealed, consisted specifically of imitating the movements of primates "monkeys", repeatedly shouting the word "monkey", and making "ah, ah, ah, ah" sounds mimicking the screaming of the animal. The television cameras clearly captured every act, leaving the case documented by conclusive evidence.
You can discuss the topics and news in more depth in the Kooora forums
Official action: Sevilla disowns its fan
La Liga, the Spanish league association and a plaintiff party in this case, acted immediately after the match. They filed an official complaint about the incident to the competitions committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and to the anti-violence committee.
Sevilla did not stand idly by either. The Andalusian club identified the fan immediately, expelled him from the stadium at that same moment, and subjected him to its internal disciplinary regulations, a step that proved decisive in bringing him to justice.
Now, after two years of waiting, the moment of reckoning arrives. The trial could set a strong judicial precedent in the war Spanish football is waging against the scourge of racism in stadiums.
