Real Madrid lodges hate crime complaint over Vinicius incident
May 22, 2023 _ MADRID (Reuters) – Real Madrid have lodged a hate crime complaint with Spanish prosecutors over racist chants hurled at Brazilian player Vinicius Jr during Sunday’s match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, the club said in a statement on Monday.
“Real Madrid C.F. shows its strongest rejection and condemns the events that occurred yesterday against our player Vinicius Jr,” it said.
The attacks, in its view, “constitute a hate crime” for which the club has filed a complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office, the club said.
Separately, the Movement Against Intolerance (MCI) and the Association of Spanish Soccer Players (AFE) said in a joint statement they had also filed a complaint with the same prosecutor’s office, citing racial slurs against the Black player.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip)
Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.