La Liga: Racial abuse arrests made after Vinicius Jr effigy hung off bridge
Seven people accused of racially abusing Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior have been arrested in Spain, according to police
Three were detained in Valencia for alleged abuse against Vinicius Jr in a La Liga match (the Spanish league) on Sunday.
Four were arrested in Madrid for allegedly hanging an effigy of the player off a highway bridge in January.
The arrests come after an outpouring of support for Vinicius Jr after he said he was abused in Valencia.
The case prompted widespread reaction from sports figures and government officials in Spain and worldwide.
The nation has been criticised for its lack of action in racism cases in football. Brazilian government officials, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had publicly expressed their concerns.
Vinicius Jr has been subjected to repeated racist taunts since he arrived in Spain five years ago, and especially this season after he began celebrating his goals by dancing.
The Brazilian has heavily criticised Spanish football for not doing more to stop racism.
The match against Valencia was temporarily stopped after Vinicius said a fan behind one of the goals called him a monkey and made monkey gestures toward him. Vinicius considered leaving the field but eventually continued playing.
The effigy of Vinicius Jr was hanged by the neck on the morning of a derby match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Along with it was a banner with the words “Madrid hates Real.”
The perpetrators used a black figure with Vinicius Jr’s name on it, tied a rope around its neck and hanged it from an overpass while still dark in the Spanish capital.
Police said three of those arrested belonged to one of Atletico's fan groups, and the other was a follower of the group. Some had prior bookings with police for other crimes.
The men arrested are between the ages of 19 and 24. Authorities said some were previously identified during matches considered at high risk of violence.
Spanish media said police had used security cameras to identify the perpetrators but no action had been taken until now. Police did not say if the timing of the arrests had to do with the widespread attention being received by the latest abuse against Vinicius Jr on Sunday.
The lights at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro were turned off on Monday night in a show of solidarity for Vinicius Jr.
“It’s an action of solidarity that is moving,” Vinicius Jr said on Twitter. “But more than everything, what I want is to inspire and bring more light to our fight.”
Vinicius thanked all the support he has received in the last months in Brazil and abroad.
“I know who you are,” he said. “Count on me, because the good ones are the majority and I’m not going to give up. I have a purpose in life, and if I have to keep suffering so that future generations won’t have to go through these types of situations, I’m ready and prepared.”
Valencia banned for life a fan identified of insulting Vinicius Jr during the game. Real Madrid took the case to prosecutors as a hate crime.
The Spanish league has filed nine criminal complaints of cases of racial abuse against Vinicius Jr in the last two seasons, with most of them being shelved by prosecutors.
The league said it will seek to increase its authority to issue sanctions in cases of hate crimes during games. It had been saying it can only detect and denounce incidents to authorities and the country's football federation.
Supporters have been fined and banned from stadiums for their abuse against Vinicius, but so far only a Mallorca fan may end up going on trial for allegedly racially insulting the Brazilian during a game.
The first trial against a fan accused of racial abuse in Spanish professional football is expected to happen at some point this year; the case involved Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who was insulted by an Espanyol supporter in a match in 2020.
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