“We will track you down”: lynching of Vinicius doll shocks all of Spain

“We will track you down”
Lynching of Vinicius doll shocks Spain

Before the Madrid city derby, an incident of racism shakes Spanish football. A mannequin wearing a shirt worn by Brazilian star Vinicius Junior is hung on a bridge near Real’s training ground. Clubs, league and media react appalled.

A tasteless action by suspected football fans has sparked outrage in Spain before the quarter-finals of the cup between city rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. The night before the derby in the quarter-finals of the cup (9 p.m.), strangers hung a life-size doll on a bridge in the Spanish capital that was supposed to represent Brazilian Real striker Vinicius Jr. A large poster was placed above it with the inscription: “Madrid hates Real”. Ultras from Real’s city rivals had already used this sentence in the past.

The lynch action was met with fierce criticism from many quarters. Atlético Madrid called them “disgusting and unacceptable” in a communiqué and wrote: “These are incidents that shame society.” The Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Region of Madrid, Marta Rivera, said: “Whoever did this does not represent the values ​​of a club, nor does he have any interest in sport, football or anything else.” The specialist newspaper “Marca” denounced the “unacceptable threat”. Other Spanish media interpreted the action as a “racist attack” and a “serious threat”.

Vinicius racially abused in September

Atlético itself condemned the events on Thursday. “Such actions are absolutely disgusting and inadmissible and shame society,” said the fourth-placed player. Real spoke of a “regrettable and despicable act of racism, xenophobia and hatred against our player Vinicius” and thanked “for the support and expressions of sympathy” that they had received. On Twitter, the Spanish league also spoke out against “the hateful actions against Vinicius”.

The players’ union AFE, human rights organizations and other bodies announced legal action. Pro league boss Javier Tebas wrote on Twitter: “A message to those who take refuge at night to commit hate crimes: we will find you, we will get your convictions put in jail where you belong. ENOUGH NOW! !!” The police told AFP news agency that they were investigating the incident without giving further details.

Atlético fans had already made negative headlines at the derby in the league in September. Camera footage showed supporters at the time shouting racist chants at Vinicius Jr. However, in December the public prosecutor’s office dropped the investigation because it was not possible to identify the culprits.

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