VINICIUS JR EXPECTS PUNISHMENT AGAINST HATE CRIMES, SPOKESPERSON SAYS

Vinicius Jr., a Brazilian forward for Real Madrid, anticipates that the Spanish government will punish those responsible for hate crimes after a mannequin bearing his No. 20 jersey was hung from a bridge in front of the team’s training facility ahead of the Madrid derby.

A mannequin with the words “Madrid hates Real” was hanging next to it during the early hours of Thursday, according to police. Real will play Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Thursday.

Vinicius Jr. is aware of the circumstance but is entirely focused on tonight’s game, according to a spokeswoman for the 22-year-old Vinicius.

He will discuss the matter tomorrow with his club and legal counsel, but his position is unchanged from before: He wants official remarks to be replaced by penalties from the authorities.

Although no charges had been brought, police told Reuters they had begun an inquiry into what might have been a hate crime after removing the poster and mannequin early on Thursday.

The Spanish FA, LaLiga, Real, and Atletico all issued official statements denouncing the incident.

At least three times—at Camp Nou against Barcelona in November 2021, at Atletico in September 2022, and at Valladolid in late December 2022—Vinicius has experienced racial abuse from supporters.

After determining that the racist screaming directed against Vinicius in September only “lasted a few seconds” and did not amount to a crime, prosecutors in Madrid opted not to file charges.

After recordings on social media showed fans yelling obscenities and throwing items at him at a match the day before in Valladolid, Vinicius accused LaLiga in December of doing little to address the issue of racist fans at sporting events.

In September 2022, Pele, Neymar, and other prominent Brazilian icons defended Vinicius after a commentator on a Spanish soccer show criticized the forward.

He compared Vinicius’ behavior to that of a baboon and claimed that Vinicius was disrespecting opponents with his celebrations, which quickly triggered a backlash on social media.

In a two-minute video statement at the time, Vinicius Jr. said he “won’t stop dancing” and that “the happiness of a black Brazilian being successful in Europe concerns” many people in response to what he called a “xenophobic and racist” attack.