Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has spoken out for the first time since a verdict of an eight-month prison sentence was handed down to his abusers at Mestalla, dubbing himself the ‘executioner of racists.’
The Brazilian went to the stands to point out multiple fans that he saw making monkey noises at him at Mestalla in May of 2023, during a league match against Valencia. The three fans were identified by Los Che, and have been in the legal system since.
While there have been a number of racist incidents over the last two years in Spain, most of them have ended in stadium bans and fines, rather than criminal punishments. Yet for the first time since La Liga brought a case to court on Sunday, they were given a prison sentence, based on a crime against moral integrity with race as an aggravating factor, in a landmark ruling.
Vinicius tweeted out later with a message not only for his abusers, but also those telling him to stick to football.
“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football’.”
“But, as I’ve always said, I’m not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people.”
“May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I’ll be here to collect. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come… ”
There is no argument that Vinicius has been instrumental in dragging the conversation forward on racism in Spain, albeit with plenty of blowback. La Liga and Real Madrid have addressed the issue in a much more aggressive manner over the last year. Nevertheless, it is merely the first step, bearing in mind the rising number of incidents in Spain.
The post “I am the executioner of racists” – Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior responds qverdict with strong statement appeared first on Football España.
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