Global Courant 2023-05-24 03:54:47
Vinicius Jr. tried to draw the referee’s attention to someone in the stands during Real Madrid’s defeat to Valencia on Sunday
Valencia has been penalized with a partial stadium closure for five matches following the racist abuse of Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr.
Valencia has also been fined 45,000 euros (£39,000).
Valencia’s South Stand will be closed and the club will have 10 working days to appeal.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) also said Vinicius, 22, will not be suspended after being sent off in the 97th minute of the match. 1-0 defeat.
The RFEF said in a statement that the referee’s decision to dismiss Vinicius was due to him being “deprived of a decisive part of the facts”, adding that it was “impossible for him to properly assess what was has happened”.
The RFEF explained the stadium’s partial closure, adding: “It is considered proven that, as the referee reports in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, altering the normal course of the match and causing fouls were considered very serious.”
The game was interrupted in the second half when an enraged Vinicius reported fans of the opponents to the referee.
Real has reported the abuse against Vinicius to the Spanish prosecutor’s office as a hate crime.
La Liga teams stand up against racism
Barcelona player Raphinha unveiled a shirt as a sign of solidarity with Vinicius Jr as he was substituted during a match on Tuesday night
Vinicius has been the target of racial abuse on several occasions this season, with the latest incident drawing support from the footballing world.
And there is widespread condemnation of the way the incident was handled, including by the Brazilian government.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s matches between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players and match officials stood behind banners reading “Racism, out of football”.
Barcelona winger Raphinha unveiled a statement of support for his compatriot in the second half as he was substituted.
La Liga has said it will ask for “more sanctioning powers”. so it can sanction incidents of racism, after the handling of the Valencia incident was widely condemned by the Spanish league.
After the game, Vinicius and La Liga president Javier Tebas engaged back-to-back on Twitter, after the Brazilian said La Liga “belongs to racists” and “in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists”.
Tebas responded by saying Vinicius twice failed to show up for a meeting to discuss what it “can do in cases of racism”, adding: “Before you criticize and slander La Liga, educate yourself.”
Real Valladolid and Barcelona players hold up an anti-racism banner, which translates as “Racists, out of football”
