Fan sentenced for racial abuse of Vinicius Jr and Chukwueze

A fan has been handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence for racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr and former Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze.

The Mallorca supporter, whose identity has been withheld, was also banned from attending football stadiums for three years. His sentence was suspended after he issued a letter of apology to Vinicius and completed anti-discrimination training.

“Real Madrid will keep working to protect the club’s values and eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport,” the club said in an official statement.

In addition, another Mallorca supporter, a minor, who racially abused Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, was banned from stadiums for one year.

The racial abuse incidents occurred during Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga defeat against Mallorca in February 2023. The same fan directed racial slurs at Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze two weeks later.

This is not the first case involving Vinicius Jr; in June, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing him during a match at the Mestalla Stadium in May 2023.

Earlier this month, Vinicius urged FIFA to reconsider Spain’s bid for the 2030 World Cup if the country fails to address the ongoing issue of racism in its football stadiums.

Real Madrid will face city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday, where Vinicius has previously faced racial abuse.