The sentence of eight months in prison and two years outside the stadiums handed down a week ago against three fans for racist insults against Vinicius Jr in Mestalla (Valencia) This marks a change in the judicial response to these disturbing behaviors that have been reaching the Spanish courts for years.
Ever since Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office presented in 2020, after a complaint by the league, a leading complaint for racist chants received by a soccer player Athletic Club Iñaki Williams in the field, judges of Madrid, Valladolid, Mallorca or Sevilleamong others, investigate whether there are criminal charges for attacks on players because of the color of their skin.
Racism in football is the protagonist of almost a dozen cases of hate crimes or crimes against dignity and moral integrity, although others have been archived, generally due to the impossibility of identifying the perpetrator or because the facts do not cross the border of the crime.
The Prosecutor’s Officethat there is also an open investigation before reaching court, and The leaguewhich has been bringing these cases to court since 2020 with a commitment to eradicate racism from the fields of play, established cooperation standards a few months ago in a meeting to fight these episodes.
It is a judicial map with several reasons, operating outside of disciplinary sanctions, regulated in Disciplinary Code of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and imposed by the Competition Committee.
From the lead in the complaint to the sentence that marks the way
Three and a half years ago, a court in Cornellà de Llobregat (Barcelona) began to investigate, at the initiative of The league and after a leading lawsuit from Prosecutor’s Office against hate crimes in Barcelona, the attacks and “acts of contempt with a racist nature” against Inaki Williams within Spanish-Athletic on January 25, 2020.
Some facts await trial and prompt requests for two years in prison for the accused.
The court case of Valencia for racist cries against Vinicius Jr within Valencia-Real Madrid on May 21, 2023, more than a year later there is already a sentence: eight months in prison (without parole) and a ban on entering stadiums for two years for a crime against moral integrity aggravated by hatred .
The sentence, based on a consent agreement that included an explicit apology from the player, “marks a very important path” for other causes and a “warning” that “these things are doesn’t come for free; there’s a precedent,” he indicated. in EFE the prosecutor against hate crimes in Valencia, Susana Gisbert.
A warning for “possible perpetrators”, but also for possible victims, so that they “know they don’t have to put up with it”, that they are not “football attacks” and “they shouldn’t put up with it”, More he still
Source of the league, which has no sanctioning powers, described the sentence as “historic” and emphasized its “exemplary effect” so that “someone would think twice before unleashing a racist insult in a football stadium. “
The banner against Vinicius and more insults from the stands
Other cases are pending trial, such as the four ultras accused of hanging a doll with a shirt Vinicius Jr on a bridge near the sports city of real Madrid, which the Prosecutor’s Office is asking for 4 years in prison and LaLiga 2 and a half. Currently, they are temporarily prohibited from approaching the stadiums of The league during their battles.
A judge of Majorca a fan is being investigated for a hate crime for racist insults against the Brazilian forward and also against Samu Chukwuezewhen he played in Villarreal, in various matches against Mallorca. The person under investigation was expelled from the Villarreal club for three years.
On the other hand, the racist investigation screams against the then player of Cadiz CF Carlos Akapo in a match against Granada CF As of 2022 it has been completed and is in the process of filing charges.
The difficulty of criminally prosecuting these behaviors
Despite the accusations’ attempts to prosecute this behavior, some racist episodes were left by the wayside, which ended up being archived.
This happened, for example, with cries against Vinicius Jr in classic Camp Nou in 2020, or against Nico Williams in 2022 at Benito Villamarin during the Betis-Athletic.
In addition to the difficulty of finding the perpetrator in crowded stadiums, in order to have a crime against moral integrity or hatred, it is necessary to prove that several requirements are met, such as the presence of racist motivation, which has consequences. to the person, “for the act of humiliation”, or that incites hatred, explained the prosecutor.
“A racist insult is not enough,” he said. Gisbert-, but it must prove that the action was “more than an occasional insult.”
While aware of these difficulties and the “frustration” that comes with filing cases, sources of The league They emphasize their respect for the “guaranteed” judicial system in which no one is convicted “without a fair judicial process”, and make it clear that The league will not stop reporting all racist acts it sees because “the fight against racism is an absolute priority and we must try to protect our competition by all means.”
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
