La Liga is reviewing footage that allegedly depicts Vinicius Jr experiencing racial abuse during Real Madrid’s match against Valencia, according to information obtained by BBC Sport.
The video circulating on social media purportedly depicts a young fan directing abusive language towards the player, as reported by The Athletic.
Vinicius scored two goals during Saturday’s 2-2 draw and celebrated by raising his fist in the air.
Throughout his time in Spain, the 23-year-old has been subjected to racial abuse on multiple occasions.
In May 2023, Vinicius expressed his frustration, stating that “La Liga belongs to racists” after being targeted by Valencia fans at the Mestalla stadium.
Following the incident, three individuals were arrested, and Valencia received fines and a partial stadium closure order for five matches, which was later reduced to three upon appeal.
The instances of racist abuse directed at Vinicius over the past year and a half include:
– September 2022: Atletico Madrid fans reportedly sang racist chants directed at Vinicius outside the Metropolitano stadium before a match against Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid condemned the behavior, labeling it as “unacceptable” and originating from a “minority” of fans.
– September 2022: Vinicius faced criticism from some Spanish pundits for his goal celebration, which involved dancing by the corner flag. He responded by attributing the criticism to “the happiness of a black Brazilian in Europe.”
– December 2022: While walking past fans after being substituted during a match against Valladolid, Vinicius appeared to experience racist abuse. La Liga subsequently announced that charges related to the incident were filed with relevant authorities.
– January 2023: An effigy of Vinicius was hung from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground before a Copa del Rey game against Atletico Madrid. Atletico condemned the act as “repugnant.”
– February 2023: Mallorca fans were captured on video allegedly racially abusing Vinicius during a match against Real Madrid.
March 2023 – La Liga said “intolerable racist behaviour was once again observed against Vinicius” in a game against Barcelona and it had reported the racist insults to the Barcelona Court of Instruction.
May 2023 – Vinicius suffered racist abuse against Valencia. Three people were later detained in connection with the abuse.
October 2023 – Vinicius praised Sevilla for acting swiftly to eject and report a fan to authorities for allegedly racially abusing him.
October 2023 – Barcelona opened an investigation after Vinicius was allegedly abused by fans after being substituted during El Clasico.