A victory in the fight against racism in football was achieved this week as three Valencia fans were sentenced to prison for hate crimes. The incident occurred in May 2023 during a La Liga match between Valencia and their rivals Real Madrid, when striker Vinícius Júnior was subjected to racist abuse.

Earlier this year in March, the Brazilian player broke down in tears at a news conference and confessed that he had "less will to play" as a result of the persistent racist abuse that he faced in Spain’s top league. Despite this, he asserted that he would not consider leaving and giving the racists what they want.

Video: via ESPN

The three fans in this case were handed an eight month sentence by the Magistrate's Court of Valencia and were also banned from entering football stadiums for two years. In response to this verdict, Vinícius Júnior, who has been a strong advocate against racism and vocal about the need for more to be done to combat it in the game, responded with the following statement (translated from Portuguese):

“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football’…But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists.

"This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all Black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to collect. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come…”

Racism has been a stain on the game for a long time. Several high profile incidents over the years include players like Kevin-Prince Boateng and Mario Balotelli walking off the pitch after being racially abused; there have also been several instances where Black players have been bombarded with ugly gestures - Brazilian footballer, Richarlison, being the latest among several players to have a banana thrown at him by racist fans in 2022. Incidents like these have prompted players to implore and challenge officials, clubs and professional football organizations to take more decisive action.

Last year, Gianni Infantino, the President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the game’s international self-regulatory governing body, asserted that football cannot continue when there is discrimination. He indicated that FIFA would set up a task force to make specific recommendations, with Vinícius Júnior taking a prominent role in these actions. Recommendations under consideration include mandating racist abuse in football as a disciplinary offense, a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents to referees, and for match forfeits to be considered as a punishment for racist incidents.

While there is still clearly a long way to go, this week’s verdict is a step in the right direction towards tangible consequences for the perpetrators of racism. 

"Racism is normal in La Liga,” Vinícius Júnior said. “I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists. Even though it’s far from here.”

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