Real Madrid launch hate crime complaint against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fans
Real Madrid have lodged an official complaint over hate crimes against Vinicius Jr. by Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fans following midweek events. Fans from both sides were seen chanting racist slurs and hateful messages aimed at the Brazil international.
Los Blancos were in midweek action last week, as they narrowly overcame RB Leipzig to reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. This week, the action shifted to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys as Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played the second legs of their round-of-16 ties.
Before the game in Madrid, a group of Atletico fans were seen in videos circulating on social media chanting racist abuse at the forward. They called him a chimpanzee, just as they had done when he featured against them in the Copa del Rey earlier this season.
Before Barcelona took on Napoli, some of their fans were caught on video chanting “Vinicius, die!” outside their temporary home. In response to these videos, Los Blancos released a statement:
“Real Madrid CF has filed a complaint with the Official State Prosecutor over hate and discrimination offences relating to the racist and hateful abuse aimed at our player Vinicius Junior in the areas surrounding the Montjuic Olympic Stadium and the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, ahead of the FC Barcelona-Napoli and Atletico de Madrid-Inter Milan Champions League fixtures.”
“Real Madrid calls on Prosecutors to request the recordings available from both locations from the security forces in order to identify the perpetrators of the abuse. Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hate against our player Vinicius Junior, which have sadly been a recurrent and ongoing concern for some time. Our club will continue working hard to uphold the values of football and sport as a whole, and will remain steadfast in the fight for a zero-tolerance approach to the types of despicable incidents we have seen on multiple occasions in recent times.”
The racist and hateful abuse of Vinicius Jr. has become a common theme among certain fan bases in Spain. His club hopes serious action will be taken against the perpetrators to limit the occurrence of such events in the future.
Real Madrid extend unbeaten run with win over Osasuna
Real Madrid made light work of Osasuna at El Sadar in La Liga on Saturday, March 16, emerging with all three points after a 4-2 win. Vinicius Jr. and Federico Valverde were in inspired form for Carlo Ancelotti‘s side as they extended their lead atop the standings to 10 points.
Los Blancos were without the suspended Jude Bellingham but that didn’t matter much as Vinicius Jr. scored a brace (4′, 64′), with Dani Carvajal (18′) and Brahim Diaz (61′) also getting on the scoresheet. Valverde assisted three of his side’s four goals in the game.
Real have not tasted defeat in their last 23 league matches, helping them accumulate a healthy lead at the top. Ancelotti’s side look set to emerge as champions of Spain, with nine matches still to be played in the season.
