Report: Vinicius’ racial abusers won’t be charged

Fans who racially abused Vinicius Junior before the Madrid derby at the Wanda this season will not face charges according to the news agency EFE

Spanish prosecutors have shelved the case, stating there was there was no specific act that a particular person could be charged with. They also downplayed the severity of the incident, stating that though disrespectful and unpleasant, the abuse only lasted a few seconds and came in the context of a fiercely contested football match.

Atletico Madrid fans were filmed chanting “Vincius is a monkey” outside the club stadium before a 2-1 defeat in this season’s Madrid derby. A complaint was filed by a Spanish pressure group, the Movement against Intolerance, while LaLiga also reported the chanting to the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee and Spain’s Anti-Violence Commission.

It’s an extremely disappointing ruling for accountability in Spanish sport as racism continues to become more prevalent in football. Just a few months prior to this incident, Peter Federico was subject to similar abuse from Atletico fans in a UEFA Youth League game. Jefferson Lerma, Geoffroy Kondogbia, Dani Alves and Marcelo are just a handful of LaLiga figures who have suffered racial abuse at numerous stadiums across Spain in recent years. Even Real Madrid, for their attempts to rid the club of racism, have been guilty of ignoring the behavior. Dani Carvajal was accused of racial abuse as recent as 2017 but the incident was never addressed.

With a growing diversity in the Real Madrid lineup, it is vital that the club hold itself and others accountable for this behavior and protect the players where Spanish law has shown itself unable to.