Real Madrid files complaint to prosecutors and soccer federation after more fan abuse of Vinicius

Mon, Mar 18, 2024
Soccer News (AP)

MADRID (AP) - Real Madrid filed a new complaint with Spanish state prosecutors on Monday following reports of more hate chants aimed at forward Vinicius Junior in the Spanish league.

The club also filed a complaint with the Spanish Football Federation disciplinary committee against the referee of Saturday's match at Osasuna for not including in his match report the alleged "Die, Vinicius" chants by local fans at El Sadar Stadium.

Madrid called the match report by referee Juan Martinez Munuera "negligent."

"The official omitted, in voluntary and deliberate fashion, the insults and humiliating chants directed towards our player on a repeated basis, despite his attention being drawn to them continually by our players as they were happening," Madrid said in a statement late Monday.

Madrid last week asked prosecutors to investigate reported racist chants targeting the Brazil international outside the stadiums of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona before their Champions League games.

Madrid has asked prosecutors to try to "identify the perpetrators of the abuse" against its player.

"Real Madrid once again condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate and demands that measures finally be taken in order to eradicate the violence to which our player Vinicius Junior has been subjected," the club said.

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On Thursday, Vinicius retweeted a video that showed Atletico fans jumping and chanting "Vinicius chimpanzee" before the team played Inter Milan on Wednesday.

There were also reports of hate chants against Vinicius before the Barcelona-Napoli match on Tuesday, when Barcelona fans also allegedly chanted "Die, Vinicius" before the team's 3-1 win.

Vinicius, who is Black, has been relentlessly targeted by racist slurs during away games in Spain, especially in the last two seasons.

The Spanish league has also reported some of the abuse aimed at Vinicius to Spanish prosecutors.

In 2023, Atletico fans hanged an effigy of Vinicius from a bridge in Madrid before a city derby. Prosecutors sought four-year prison sentences for the four hardcore fans accused by authorities of committing the act.

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TALES AZZONI Azzoni is a sports reporter based in Madrid in charge of Spain and Portugal for The Associated Press. He has covered multiple World Cups and Olympic Games for the AP, as well as other major sporting events worldwide. "