• Five fans sentenced for racially abusing Vinicius Jr during a match.
• The ruling marks a historic breakthrough in Spain's legal approach to racism in sports.
• Prison sentences include fines and a three-year ban from stadiums.

Five fans from Real Valladolid have been sentenced for their racist abuse of Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, marking a landmark ruling in Spain that categorizes such misconduct in football as a hate crime. In a match on December 30, 2022, Vinicius was subjected to racial slurs as he walked past fans at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium during Real Madrid's win over Valladolid. The Provincial Court of Valladolid imposed on each offender a one-year suspended prison sentence, alongside fines ranging from 1,080 to 1,620 euros ($1,226.12 to $1,836) and a three-year ban from attending matches, according to Channel News Asia, Al Jazeera, Reuters, and India Times.

This ruling is considered unprecedented in the fight against racism in sports in Spain, according to La Liga, which initially filed the complaint and acted as a private prosecution in the case. The organization stated that previously issued rulings addressed insults purely as conduct against moral integrity, but this case specifically recognized the incidents as hate crimes, bolstering the stance that "intolerance has no place in football." This decision reflects a growing commitment to tackle racism in sports, as noted by La Liga in its statement, as reported by Channel News Asia, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.

In recent years, Vinicius has been a repeated target of racist abuse during away matches in La Liga, shedding light on the persistent issue of racism in football. Previous sentencing examples include three Valencia fans receiving eight-month prison terms for similar insults directed at the player. Additionally, another individual who racially abused both Vinicius and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze earlier this year was handed a suspended sentence after going through anti-discrimination training, according to information from Channel News Asia, Al Jazeera, Reuters, and India Times.