Brazilian Real Madrid star Vinicius was received by a judge on Thursday in Valencia as part of the investigation into racist insults uttered against him during a championship match held in the same city on May 21 . The hearing took place by videoconference from a court in Madrid, where the attacker went on Thursday morning, dressed in a white shirt and dark pants, according to an AFP journalist present on site.
“Insulted”
He left after his testimony, behind closed doors, without saying a word to the press who were waiting for him in court. According to local media, Vinicius explained to the judge that he felt “offended” by the insults he received that day at the stadium. He repeated that the insults were “about his skin color”, assure the Spanish press. If it does not deny the facts, the Valencia club expressed “its surprise” and “its indignation” regarding the Brazilian’s statement, demanding that he “rectify it publicly”, so as not to stigmatize the entire Valencian public.
“Racism has no place in football or in society, but we cannot fight it with false ideas and unfounded lies,” wrote the club, which considers that Vinicius is unfairly targeting “the entire stadium of Mestalla” in his statement. The Merengue striker, regularly targeted in football stadiums, claimed to have been insulted by the public on May 21, in the Mestalla enclosure, in Valencia, during this match lost 1-0 by Real.
Around the 70th minute of play, he pointed at a supporter, then players went to report the facts to the referee. Vinicius said he was called a “monkey” by opposing supporters. The meeting was interrupted for several minutes. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he heard the cry “mono” (monkey in Spanish), which led the referee to “open the racism protocol”, according to the Italian.
“It wasn’t the first time, nor the second nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga,” the 23-year-old Brazilian player reacted after the match on Instagram. “The championship which once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to the racists,” he continued, saying he was “strong” and wanted to fight “the racists to the end”.
The next day, a Valencia court opened an investigation for “hate crime” after complaints filed by the La Liga prosecutor’s office. Three young people were arrested, suspected of being the perpetrators of the insults. The latter admitted the facts, but denied any hateful or racist intention against the player. One of them was directly designated by the player in the stadium. The other two were identified thanks to video surveillance images.