Ethics CasesSport

Cases · LaLiga / Real Madrid · 2021–2026

Vinícius Júnior and Racist Abuse in Spanish Football

Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior joined Real Madrid in 2018 and became one of the world's best players. LaLiga reported dozens of incidents of racist abuse against him from 2021, including chants and an effigy hung from a Madrid bridge. In May 2023, he was abused by fans at Valencia's Mestalla stadium; the match was stopped and he accused LaLiga of tolerating racism. Valencia was fined and part of its stadium was closed, though both penalties were reduced on appeal. In June 2024, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison, the first criminal conviction in Spain for racist abuse at a football match. Vinícius was named The Best FIFA Men's Player for 2024. The case raises questions about the responsibilities of leagues, clubs and authorities, and the burden placed on targets of abuse.

By Tanner Simkins, editor

Timeline

  1. LaLiga begins reporting incidents of racist abuse against Vinícius.
  2. An effigy of Vinícius is hung from a bridge in Madrid.
  3. Vinícius is racially abused by fans at Valencia's Mestalla; play is halted.
  4. Valencia is fined and a stand closed; penalties are later reduced on appeal; four men are arrested over the effigy.
  5. Three Valencia fans are sentenced to eight months in prison.
  6. Vinícius is named The Best FIFA Men's Player.
  7. A Champions League match is halted after Vinícius reports a racist remark by an opponent.

The ethical issues

  • Racist abuse in stadiums and its effect on players.
  • Accountability of leagues, clubs and governments.
  • The burden on targets to report and speak out.
  • Proportionate sanctions for clubs and fans.
  • Stopping matches as a response to abuse.

Stakeholders

StakeholderInterests & obligations
Vinícius JúniorSafety, dignity and the ability to play.
Black playersFreedom from abuse.
LaLiga and the Spanish federationReputation and enforcement.
ClubsResponsibility for their supporters.
FansAccountability for the minority who abuse.
Spanish authoritiesEnforcing hate crime laws.

The case

Vinícius Júnior joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2018 as a teenager and became one of the world’s best forwards. He finished second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or and was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2024.[1]

Background

Real Madrid signed Vinícius from Flamengo for a reported €46 million. At the time, it was the second-largest sale in Brazilian football history and the highest fee ever paid for a player under 19.[1] Off the field, he received the Sócrates Award in 2023, and in 2024 UNESCO appointed him a Goodwill Ambassador for Education for All.[1]

The Brazilian government’s response went beyond statements. Lula urged FIFA and other football bodies to take the strongest possible action.[1] Brazil’s justice minister, Flávio Dino, threatened to apply the principle of extraterritoriality to the case.[1] Vinícius also faced criticism for his own on-field conduct. After a March 2024 incident in which he pushed an RB Leipzig player in the neck, a former Real Madrid player said that if he did not “calm down,” he would never become a legend.[1]

The rules and governance

The Mestalla conviction was for a crime against moral integrity under Article 173.1 of Spain’s Penal Code, with racism as an aggravating circumstance. The original 12-month sentence was cut by a third under an agreement reached during the preliminary investigation, and the stadium ban was reduced from three years to two.[2] Valencia CF helped identify the three fans and expelled them as club members. The defendants read a letter of apology to Vinícius, LaLiga and Real Madrid during the hearing.[2] The complaint was joined by the Spanish federation, Real Madrid and, later, Vinícius himself.[2]

LaLiga stressed the limits of its own power. Spanish law does not let it sanction clubs, fans or players for racism, only report them to authorities. Since 2015–16 it had reported incidents to the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport and to the federation’s competition committee. Since January 2020, after racist abuse of Athletic Club’s Iñaki Williams, it has also gone directly to prosecutors, courts and police.[2] LaLiga president Javier Tebas called for laws giving LaLiga sanctioning powers to speed up action.[2]

Repeated abuse

LaLiga reported 26 incidents of racist abuse directed at Vinícius since October 2021, including chants by fans.[1] In 2023, a mannequin made to look like him was hung from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground; four men were later arrested.[1][7] It happened in the early hours of January 26, 2023, before a Copa del Rey match against Atlético de Madrid. The mannequin wore his shirt and hung beside a banner reading “Madrid hates Real.”[7]

Mestalla

On May 21, 2023, during a match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, Vinícius was racially abused by fans. The referee activated the anti-racism protocol and play was paused for several minutes after Vinícius pointed out fans making racist chants and gestures. Late in the match he was sent off after a scuffle; the Spanish federation later rescinded the red card after footage showed an opponent had grabbed him by the neck.[5][6] The referee’s report recorded that in the 73rd minute a spectator in the stadium’s south stand shouted “Monkey, monkey” at him. That triggered the racism protocol, and play was stopped until a warning was read over the loudspeakers.[5] Real Madrid lost the match 1-0.[5] Afterward, he accused LaLiga of normalizing racism.[1] Real Madrid reported the abuse to prosecutors as a hate crime.[1] Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the abuse, and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue turned off its lights in solidarity.[1]

The Spanish federation fined Valencia €45,000 and ordered part of its stadium closed for five matches. On appeal, the closure was reduced to three matches and the fine to €27,000.[3] The closure applied to the south stand Vinícius had pointed to. The federation said it was “proven” that racist shouts had altered “the normal course of the match.” Valencia called the penalty “disproportionate, unjust and unprecedented” and said it had banned the identified fans for life. Its coach said he would not allow the club’s fans “to be smeared with labels that do not represent us.”[3] After the match, Vinícius wrote on social media that “La Liga belongs to racists.”[3]

The conviction

In June 2024, a Valencia court sentenced three fans to eight months in prison for racist insults directed at Vinícius at the Mestalla, and banned them from stadiums for two years. LaLiga, which had brought a complaint, called it the first criminal conviction in Spain for racist abuse at a football match.[2][4] Tebas said it sent “a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LALIGA will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them.” He acknowledged “some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down,” and called again for LaLiga to be given sanctioning powers.[2]

Aftermath

A second criminal case followed. In June 2025, the Provincial Court of Madrid convicted the four men behind the effigy of hate crimes under Article 510 of the Penal Code and of making threats, on a complaint LaLiga had pursued as private prosecutor.[7] The man who posted images of the act online received 15 months for the hate crime and 7 for threats. The other three received 7 months on each count, with fines of €1,084 and €720.[7] All four were barred for four years from coming within 1,000 meters of Vinícius, his home or the training ground, or of any LaLiga or federation stadium on match days. They were also disqualified from working with young people in education or sport for more than three years.[7] The letter was taken into account in mitigation, and their prison terms were suspended on condition that they complete a training program on equal treatment and non-discrimination. All signed a letter of apology to the player, Real Madrid, LaLiga and the federation.[7]

Brazilian states passed anti-racism laws named after him, allowing sporting events to be stopped when racist conduct occurs.[1] FIFA asked him to lead an anti-racism committee of players.[1] In February 2026, a Champions League match was halted for about 10 minutes after Vinícius reported a racist remark by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. Prestianni said he had used a homophobic slur, not a racist one; UEFA banned him for six matches, with three to be served.[1]

The core dilemma

Racist abuse in stadiums harms players and degrades the sport, but leagues and clubs often say they cannot control individual fans. Vinícius argued that weak responses normalized abuse. Who is responsible, and what would an effective response look like?

Competing values

  • Player safety vs. collective punishment: protecting players against punishing many fans for a few.
  • Free expression vs. hate speech: stadium culture against discrimination.
  • Institutional reputation vs. honesty: defending a league’s image against acknowledging problems.
  • Speaking out vs. personal cost: the burden on targets.

Strongest arguments

For tougher measures: repeated abuse shows existing sanctions do not deter. Clubs and leagues must identify offenders and face meaningful penalties.

For caution: most fans do not abuse players, and punishing whole stadiums can be unfair. Identification and prosecution of individuals may be more effective than collective sanctions.

Applying the frameworks

Rights

A rights lens centers a player’s right to work free of racist abuse, and asks what clubs, leagues, federations and states owe him. It also weighs free expression and due process for accused fans against protection from hate.

Ethics of care

The care lens attends to the toll of repeated abuse on Vinícius and other players, and asks how teammates, clubs and institutions show solidarity in the moment, through protocols, support and public backing, not only in statements afterward.

Kantian (duty)

A Kantian lens condemns racist abuse as a denial of a person’s equal dignity. It asks whether institutions fulfill their duties when they lack the power or will to impose meaningful consequences.

Walk it through: the Simple Decision Model

  1. Spot the issue. You are a LaLiga official after a match in which a star player was racially abused, pointed out the fans responsible, and was then sent off. The stakeholders include the player, both clubs, fans, the federation, prosecutors and the wider public. The codes in play are Spanish law, the anti-racism protocol and competition rules.
  2. Gather facts. What evidence exists, such as video, audio and witness statements? Can the individuals be identified? What powers do you have, and what powers do others hold?
  3. Test options. Options: (a) issue a statement condemning the abuse; (b) report the incident to the authorities and push for prosecution; (c) also campaign for legal sanctioning powers and work with clubs to ban offenders. Weigh speed against due process and the limits of your authority.
  4. Check codes and law. Would the player regard your response as adequate? Would your actions withstand scrutiny if abuse recurred?
  5. Decide and document. Record the evidence, the reports filed and the steps taken.
  6. Communicate and follow up. Communicate support for the player publicly, update fans on actions taken and review the anti-racism protocol.

What’s settled and what’s contested

  • Settled: the Mestalla abuse; the sanctions and appeal; the 2024 convictions.
  • Contested: whether Spanish football has a structural racism problem; how effective sanctions have been.

Why this case matters

Vinícius’s experience brought global attention to racism in Spanish football and led to new legal and sporting responses. It shows the burden placed on players who speak out.

Key terms

Institutional accountability
Structures that make a sport organization explain its decisions and face consequences: clear authority, transparency, appeals, independent oversight and enforcement.
Sanction certainty
The principle that the likelihood of being caught and punished deters misconduct more than the severity of the punishment.
Duty of care
The responsibility of coaches, organizations and institutions to protect the health, safety and well-being of those in their charge. It is not a license for total control.
Codes and guardrails
Written rules of conduct, backed by real consequences, that turn values into expected behavior. Without enforcement they are decoration.

Definitions from the Ethics Cases glossary.

Discussion questions

  1. Who bears primary responsibility for stopping racist abuse at matches: leagues, clubs, governments or fans?
  2. Valencia's penalties were reduced on appeal. What sanctions would deter abuse?
  3. Some critics said Vinícius provoked opponents. How should such claims be weighed in discussions of racist abuse?
  4. Should matches be abandoned when racist abuse occurs? What are the risks?
  5. What does Spain's first criminal conviction suggest about the role of criminal law in sport?

Sources

  1. Vinícius Júnior — Wikipedia
  2. LALIGA lands first conviction in Spain for racist abuse at a football match — LaLiga
  3. Vinicius Jr: Valencia racism fine and stadium closure reduced on appeal — BBC Sport
  4. Valencia fans convicted for racist abuse against Vinicius Jr — Reuters
  5. Real Madrid star Vinícius Jr. persistently racially abused during Spanish La Liga match — CNN
  6. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr has red card rescinded - RFEF — Reuters
  7. Four people convicted of hate crime against Vinicius Jr — LaLiga