A Spanish court has issued a 12-month suspended prison sentence to a Real Mallorca fan for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinícius Jr. and former Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze.
The supporter, who targeted Vinícius Jr. during Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Real Mallorca in February 2023 and directed slurs at Chukwueze two weeks later, was also handed a three-year ban from all football stadiums. Real Madrid confirmed that the prison sentence was suspended after the fan apologized in writing to Vinícius Jr. and completed anti-discrimination training.
This is the third criminal conviction in recent months for racist insults directed at Real Madrid players. In June, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for abuse against Vinícius Jr. at the Mestalla Stadium in May 2023.
Vinícius Jr. has been a repeated target of abuse since arriving in Spain in 2018, leading him to publicly call for Spain to be stripped of its 2030 World Cup hosting duties unless substantial progress is made in eradicating stadium racism.
In a separate incident at Real Mallorca, a minor supporter who racially abused Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni was also banned from stadiums for one year.
Real Madrid affirmed its commitment to fighting racism, stating it “will keep working to protect the club’s values and eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport.”
