If there has been one scourge that has ruined Spanish football in recent years, it is the spectre of racism, which is showing little sign of going anywhere. Despite not being involved at the Metropolitano on Wednesday night, a video appears to show Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior suffering another reprehensible incident.
A video from ‘Agente Libre’ provided by Cadena Cope, appears to show Atletico Madrid fans during their clash with Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night chanting ‘Vinicius chimpanzee’. The footage is yet to be verified, and neither has it been addressed by either club or UEFA.
La historia interminable. Nuevo episodio racista en el Riyadh Air Metropolitano en el partido que enfrentaba al Atlético de Madrid y al Bayer Leverkusen 😤. pic.twitter.com/pm3M0CLZJ2
— Agente Libre 🚩 (@AgenteLibre_dig) January 22, 2025
This news comes after Vinicius Junior appeared in court on Thursday via conference call, and confirmed he would be pressing charges against two Barcelona fans for racial abuse. The incident occurred back in 2023 during a Clasico clash at Montjuic, with the fans quickly being identified and ejected from the stadium.
In addition to the two fans being prosecuted in criminal court, a third underage child will also be investigated for racial abuse, but will face different punishment as a result, as noted by Cadena SER.
Over the course of a number of incidents, various bans from stadiums and fines have been handed out, with the penalty generally around €3-4k. Three Valencia fans were found guilty of racial abuse last year though, and sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing Vinicius at Mestalla.
Given the frequency and continuance of these incidents though, it begs the question as to whether harsher punishments should be implemented. La Liga have been vocal in asking for more powers to punish racial abuse, but so far have not been granted them. It is not yet clear exactly what they could do to punish individuals beyond higher fines, as ultimately prosecuting the abuse comes down to the judicial system.
