Vinicius: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse
The hostility towards Vinicius is real - and it has names, dates and court sentences.
He has been insulted in stadiums across Spain.
He has testified in court after a black mannequin wearing his shirt was hung from a bridge.
He has seen fans being sanctioned with suspended sentences for racist abuse in Valencia and Mallorca.
A chronology of some of the incidents suffered by him makes for depressing reading.
The case was closed because the police were unable to identify the perpetrator.
The authorities were "outraged" and said it was "despicable" but not "criminally significant".
On the Spanish football programme El Chiringuito, Pedro Bravo, the head of the Spanish Football Agents' Association, suggested Vinicius should "stop acting like a monkey" and respect his opponents. He later apologized on X, claiming he had "badly used the expression. in a metaphorical way to mean 'fooling around'". The comment caused outrage, especially in Brazil.
In September 2022, Atletico Madrid fans chanted racist abuse outside the stadium.
Prosecutors did not file charges. Then things got even worse.
A doll wearing Vinicius' jersey was found hanging from a bridge in January 2023.
Further incidents followed over the next few months, all of which led to little or no repercussions for the perpetrators.
It was the first sentence of its kind in Spain.
When he returned to Mestalla in March 2024 he was met by a chorus of boos.
His response? Two goals, celebrated with a raised fist. Sometimes he doesn't even have to be at the match to suffer the racial taunts.
Real Madrid reported the incident to the hate crimes prosecutor's office.
Then five days later, at Osasuna's ground shouts of "Vinicius die" were heard.
Most recently, this February, during the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez paused the match through Spain's anti-hate protocol.
The club broadcast announcements over the PA system and LED screens rejecting xenophobic chants. Only last month, during Alvaro Arbeloa's debut as Real manager against Albacete in the Copa del Rey, a group of their fans hurled racist insults at the Brazilian. La Liga strongly condemned the incident, reaffirming its support for the player. And now the Lisbon incident. Perhaps you might wonder why Vinicius continues to react and fight?
"But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism.
I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It's for all black people
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