Four Atletico Madrid supporters allegedly responsible for coordinating a hate campaign against Vinicius Junior have been arrested.
The social media campaign saw Atletico fans encouraged to wear masks to the derby against Real Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano on September 29.
The aim was for them to then be able to avoid detection by cameras when using racist insults towards players, specifically calling Vinicius Jr a monkey.
La Liga “formally denounced” the plans as a “hate campaign that seeks to promote racist and vexatious acts” which “constitutes a hate crime, clearly typified in the penal code.” The league stated it “would under no circumstances tolerate this behaviour”.
Police say their investigation followed three complaints from the league and has now seen four people arrested.
“We continue to fight to end hate and racism in football,” La Liga said on Thursday. “La Liga denounced the hate campaign against Vinicius Jr. These acts don’t go unpunished and have their consequences.”
Seguimos luchando para acabar con el odio y el racismo en el fútbol.
LALIGA denunció la campaña de odio contra @vinijr. Estos actos no quedan impunes y tienen sus consecuencias.
👉 https://t.co/nv7xQHxD9H https://t.co/LUHpUMaiPQ
— LALIGA Corporativo (@LaLigaCorp) October 24, 2024
Following the original social media posts, La Liga, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and Atletico promised increased vigilance, along with protection from police.
While fans cannot be banned from wearing masks, it was made clear that any racist chants would lead to the match being stopped, and potentially suspended if they persisted.
Atletico emphasised its policy of zero tolerance toward racism and violence, stating that their security team would work with law enforcement to monitor and respond to any incidents.
The game, which ended 1-1, was halted for 20 minutes after home fans threw objects onto the field of play. The club have since been sanctioned with a partial stadium closure and a €45,000 fine.
Spanish football has been beset with the racist abuse of players in recent years.
In March, during an emotional press conference with Brazil, Vinicius Jr broke down in tears, expressing that racism was worsening as offenders remained unpunished, leaving him feeling “less and less like playing football.”
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In September, a supporter was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from stadiums for three years for racially abusing Vinicius Jr during a match between Mallorca and Real Madrid, as well as Samuel Chukwueze in a separate incident against Villarreal.
Also in September, Spain’s Superior Sports Council (CSD) fined a fan €60,001 (£50,686; $66,707) and banned them from sports venues for two years for racially abusing him online.
That followed three individuals being sentenced to eight months in prison in June for racially abusing him during the La Liga match at Valencia in May 2023, marking the first conviction for racist insults in a Spanish football stadium.
(Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
