Real Madrid file complaint after ‘racist, hurtful insults’ on Vinicius Jr
Real Madrid has lodged a complaint with Spanish legal authorities following an incident where their striker, Vinicius Jr, was subjected to “racist and hateful insults” earlier this week.
A video circulating on social media seemingly depicts Atletico Madrid fans chanting a racist slur ahead of their Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Real Madrid claims that Barcelona fans engaged in similar chants before their match against Napoli on Tuesday.
La Liga in Spain has stated that they will also report the incidents.
A statement from Real Madrid said: “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 Jr in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic and the Metropolitan Stadium of Madrid.
“Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hatred that have been taking place, unfortunately repeatedly, against our player Vinicius Jr.
“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.”
Los Blancos say they have also requested security footage to be assessed to identify the perpetrators.
Vinicius had responded to the video on X, saying: “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!”
In the previous three years, Vinicius, 23, has experienced numerous instances of racial hatred throughout Spain.
Following Real Madrid’s away victory over Atletico in September 2022, the latter denounced “unacceptable” pre-game chants directed at Vinicius by a “minority” of their supporters.
Four individuals were handed a two-year stadium ban and fined 60,001 euros (£51,700) in June of last year for hanging an effigy of Vinicius close to Real Madrid’s training complex in January 2023.
The same day, three other people who had made racist gestures at Real Madrid’s game against Valencia in May of last year were fined 5,000 euros (£4,300) and banned for a year.
Reports of more racist taunts directed against Vinicius during Real Madrid’s games against Valencia earlier this month, Barcelona the following week, and Sevilla in October surfaced this season.