If there has been one scourge that has blighted Spanish football in recent years, it is the specter of racism, which shows few signs of going anywhere. Despite not taking part in the Metropolitano on Wednesday night, a video appears to show Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior suffering another reprehensible incident.
A ‘Agente Libre’ video provided by Cadena Cope appears to show Atlético Madrid fans during their clash with Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night singing ‘Vinicius Chimpanzee’. The footage has not yet been verified, nor has it been addressed by the Club or UEFA.
The never ending story. New racist episode at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in the match between Atlético de Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen 😤. pic.twitter.com/pm3m0clzj2
— Free Agent 🚩 (@AgenteLibre_dig) January 22, 2025
This news comes after Vinicius Junior appeared in court on Thursday via conference call, and confirmed that he would press charges against two Barcelona fans for racial abuse. The incident occurred in 2023 during a Clasico clash at Montjuic, and fans were identified and quickly removed from the stadium.
In addition to the two fans being prosecuted in criminal court, a third underage boy will also be investigated for racial abuse, but will face different punishments as a result, as Cadena Ser noted.
Over the course of a series of incidents, several stadium bans and fines have been handed out, with the penalty generally around €3-4k. However, three Valencia fans were found guilty of racial abuse last year, and sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing Vinicius at Mestalla.
However, given the frequency and continuation of these incidents, it raises the question of whether harsher punishments should be implemented. The League has been vocal in calling for more powers to punish racial abuse, but so far it has not been granted. It’s still unclear exactly what they could do to punish people beyond higher fines, since prosecuting abuse ultimately comes down to the court system.