Soccer-Four people handed suspended jail sentences over Vinicius Jr effigy
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Copa del Rey - Final - FC Barcelona v Real Madrid - Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain - April 26, 2025 Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior reacts after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
(Reuters) -Four people have been handed suspended jail sentences by a Madrid Court after being found guilty of a hate crime related to an effigy of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, Spain's LaLiga said in a statement on Monday.
They were all involved in hanging a banner reading "Madrid hates Real" and an inflatable black effigy in a replica of the Brazilian's No. 20 shirt on a bridge before a Copa del Rey match against Atletico Madrid in January 2023.
According to the ruling, one defendant was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a hate crime and an additional seven months for making threats, having distributed images of the act online. The other three were sentenced to seven months in prison for hate crimes and seven months for threats.
They will not serve prison time, however, after all four signed a letter of apology to Vinicius, Real Madrid, LaLiga and the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF).
"The defendant who posted the video online received a special disqualification from working in education, sports, or recreational youth settings for four years and three months, while the others received three years and seven months," the LaLiga statement said.
The first defendant was fined 1,084 euros ($1,250) and the other three 720 euros, with additional punishments including a 1,000-meter restraining order from Vinicius, his home and workplace, and a ban on approaching soccer stadiums during LaLiga or RFEF matches.
They will all be required to participate in an educational programme on equal treatment and non-discrimination in order for the prison sentences imposed to be suspended.
There was no immediate confirmation from the court and no immediate reaction from Vinicius.
($1 = 0.8638 euros)
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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