- Spanish court dismisses racism lawsuit against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, citing a lack of evidence to identify perpetrators in the case
- Decision highlights challenges in addressing racism in sports and underscores the need for concrete evidence to combat discrimination effectively
A Spanish court has decided to dismiss a lawsuit concerning alleged racist abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a La Liga match against Osasuna last year. The court cited a lack of evidence as the reason for dropping the case.
The incident took place on February 18, 2023, during Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Osasuna at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona. Despite clear indications that the actions could constitute a crime, the court expressed the challenge of insufficient data to identify the perpetrators responsible for the racial insults aimed at Vinicius, who is black.
“In the actions that occurred, it is clear that the facts could constitute a crime, but there is not enough data to know the identity of the perpetrators,” stated the Pamplona court overseeing the case.
This decision reflects the complexities in pursuing such cases, emphasizing the importance of concrete evidence in addressing incidents of racism in sports. As the court closes this chapter due to the lack of identifiable culprits, the broader conversation surrounding racism in football continues, prompting a call for increased vigilance and measures to combat discrimination in sports arenas.
Vinicius’ hat-trick helps Madrid thrash Barcelona to win Super Cup
Real Madrid humiliated their arch-rivals Barcelona 4-1 in the Spanish Supercopa final with Vinicius Junior hit a brutal first-half hat-trick against a hapless Catalan defence.
It marks Jude Bellingham’s first trophy in Madrid and he got the party started early with a sumptuous ball for Vinicius to chase after peeling off a crazy high Barcelona backline and easily rounding Inaki Pena to score.
The Brazilian star was delighted for dominating the Super Cup final victory against Barcelona, saying: “I’m very happy to have won the trophy today, and with the goals I scored and the way we played. I’d like to thank the physio at home, all the Real Madrid doctors and physiotherapists, my team-mates and the coach and his entire technical team.
“They have shown confidence in me and have given me the peace of mind I need to be at my best today. I’m not at my best yet because I’ve only played three games, but I’m very happy with today’s performance and I want to continue like this.