Real Madrid superstar has regularly been the subject of alleged racist abuse, but one case from 2023 is about to be closed due to insufficient evidence.
In October 2023, Real Madrid travelled to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to take on Barcelona in the first El Clasico meeting of the season. A second half brace from Jude Bellingham saw Los Blancos emerge as 2-1 winners, but the match was overshadowed by reports that Vinicius Junior had been racially abused during the 90 minutes.
It was La Liga that reported the matter to the relevant authorities, collecting reports that Vinicius had been referred to as a “f****** monkey” by the accused. The matter became a legal case, with the Public Prosecutor’s Office overseeing things, and it looks like things are about to wrap up.
EFE (via MD) have reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked to close the case into the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior during the El Clasico fixture in October 2023. A letter from “the Barcelona Hate Crimes Prosecutor’s Office concludes that it has not been possible to clarify what the expressions made by those investigated were and considers that, although they were offensive, they do not constitute a crime of incitement to hatred since they did not cause a ‘call effect’ among the public or the suspension of the match.”
Despite this, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has urged the investigating judge to refer the case to the Office of Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination in case it is appropriate to open a sanctioning process against those investigated.
Vinicius Junior has regularly spoken on the issue of racism in Spanish football, and in his opinion, progress has been made over the last 12 months towards a positive future for him and others affected.
