5 people given suspended prison sentences for racist abuse of Vinicius

Five people have been handed suspended one-year prison sentences for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

The Provincial Court of Valladolid convicted all five of hate crimes relating to incidents in a match at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium in December 2022.

The suspension of their sentences is conditional on the defendants, "who apologised and expressed their remorse in a letter addressed to Vinicius", not attending football stadia where official sports competitions are held for three years or committing further offences.

Fines ranging from 1,080 euro (£913) to 1,620 euro (£1,369) were also imposed.

"Thanks to the efforts of LaLiga, which filed the complaint and initially acted as the sole private prosecution - later joined by the player Vinicius and Real Madrid, as well as the Public Prosecutor's Office - this exemplary ruling has been achieved," read a LaLiga statement.

"This judicial decision represents an unprecedented milestone in the fight against racism in sport in Spain, where, until now, rulings had addressed conduct against moral integrity with a racial aggravating factor.

"The fact that this ruling explicitly refers to hate crimes associated with racist insults reinforces the message that intolerance has no place in football."

Real Madrid said the hate crime convictions "offer unique recognition of the offensive nature of these behaviours".

"Real Madrid, which has acted as private prosecutor alongside its player in this case and in many others currently underway for similar events, will continue working to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sports," read a statement.

Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse for a number of years, with recent convictions for offences in Valencia, Majorca and Madrid, with online abuse also the subject of criminal prosecutions.