Prosecutor’s office accepts complaint against Ancelotti for accusing Valencia fans of being racist

The prosecutor’s office of Valencia has admitted a complaint filed by the Association of Small Shareholders of Valencia against Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for accusing them of being racist towards Vinicius Junior in a La Liga game on May 21, 2023.

According to the complaint, Ancelotti’s statements to the media after the game were “false, slanderous and injurious” to the reputation of the Valencia fans and the club. The complaint also claims that Ancelotti’s words incited hatred and violence against the fans and violated their right to honor and dignity.

The complaint refers to Ancelotti’s quotes to the media after the game, in which he said: “I don’t want to speak about football today, but about what happened. That is more important, than a defeat. What happened today cannot happen, that is pretty obvious. It’s not a person who yells ‘m*nkey’, it’s the stadium that insults a player for racism.”

The complaint also cites Ancelotti’s press conference, in which he said: “I think that FIFA’s racism protocol in football is obsolete. It’s not enough to stop the game for a few minutes or to make an announcement. There should be more severe sanctions, like suspending the game or playing behind closed doors. This is not acceptable in 2023.”

The complaint argues that Ancelotti’s accusations were based on a “translation error” and that he did not hear what the fans were actually chanting. The complaint also states that Valencia has a “zero tolerance” policy against racism and that it has identified and expelled the fan who insulted Vinicius from the stands.

After that match, Valencia spokesperson Javier Solis said that Ancelotti was wrong to call the fans racist and that he should apologize. He said: “Ancelotti was wrong to call the fans in Mestalla racist. His words are the result of a translation error. We absolutely disagree. Possibly it is the result of an error in the language, you will have understood another word. He must apologize, in the same way that we condemn racist insults.”

Solis also criticized Vinicius for his behavior after being sent off for pushing a Valencia player in the face. He said: “I understand that they will tell Vinicius that he cannot behave like this or reproduce those gestures. I found it unpleasant, a player cannot send an entire stadium to the Second Division without being condemned.”

Ancelotti has not responded to the complaint yet and it is unclear if he will face any legal consequences for his remarks. The incident has sparked a debate about racism in Spanish football and how it should be dealt with by the authorities and the clubs.