Official statement

In view of the post by Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr on his social media profiles, in which he alludes to the lack of action taken by LaLiga in the fight against racism, LaLiga has identified racist insults posted on social media by some individuals in the stands at the Estadio de Zorrilla. These offences will be reported to the Anti-Violence Commission and the Public Prosecutor's Office for hate crimes, as has been done on other occasions when LaLiga, after investigating racist behaviour inside and outside stadiums, has taken the lead in the fight against this type of behaviour.

Reporting racist insults to the Public Prosecutor's Office

In the case of racist insults by fans against players, in addition to reporting the facts to the aforementioned State Commission, since the 2018/19 season LaLiga has also taken these cases to the Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes.

The following is a summary of some of the complaints filed and their current judicial status.

Iñaki Williams in Barcelona: January 25, 2020, during the RCD Espanyol de Barcelona vs. Athletic Club match, held at the RCDE Stadium. In the 69th minute of the match, while Iñaki Williams was leaving the pitch, several fans shouted racist abuse.

Court Nº2 of First Instance of Cornellá de Llobregat has transferred the preliminary proceedings to the Public Prosecutor's Office and LaLiga (as the accusing party) so that they can request the opening of an oral trial against those guilty of hurling racist insults at the Athletic Club player, Iñaki Williams.

LaLiga, who reported the alleged racist insults against Williams to the Public Prosecutor's Office, filed an indictment requesting the opening of a trial.

Vinicius Jr. In Barcelona: In the case of Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr., LaLiga filed a complaint with the Barcelona Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes for the abuse he received during ElClásico at Camp Nou on October 24, 2021. LaLiga was notified by the Public Prosecutor's Office that the complaint had been dropped "as the perpetrators of the acts have not been identified".

Vinicius Jr. in Mallorca: LaLiga filed a complaint with the Balearic Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes for the racist chants against the player during the RCD Mallorca vs. Real Madrid match on March 14, 2022 at the Estadio de Son Moix. In this case, the reason for the Prosecutor's Office to close the complaint was because "the expression and sounds uttered, undoubtedly typical of foul and despicable attitudes, as well as offensive and completely reprehensible, do not initially appear to have, for the specific case in question, the public criminal dimension that is being claimed".

Vinicius Jr in Madrid: Racist chants against Vinicius Jr, on September 18, 2022, inside and outside the Estadio Metropolitano, before and during the Atlético de Madrid-Real Madrid match, were also reported.

Nico Williams in Sevilla: Meanwhile, Nico Williams, Iñaki's brother and also an Athletic player, received racist abuse on March 13, 2022 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, during the Real Betis - Athletic Club match, which was also the subject of a complaint by LaLiga. This case was also closed by the Seville Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes because "despite not having made a statement, from studying the social media accounts of the accused, it appears that he is not a person who intends to encourage racism, or that the gestures made were intended to achieve such an end, The consideration of criminal law as a last resort leads us to consider that, despite the incorrectness of the gestures, they do not go beyond the line of a criminal offence".

Akapo in Granada: LaLiga acted in the same way in the case of Carlos Akapo, then a Cádiz CF player, who also suffered racist abuse at the Estadio de los Cármenes during the match against Granada CF on February 28, 2022. On this occasion, it should be noted that Granada CF identified the fan, who also voluntarily turned himself in to the police. The case is still being investigated by the Granada Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes.

LaLiga will continue to lead the fight against the scourge of racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport, not only with words but also with actions, as demonstrated by the measures outlined above.

LaLiga's objective is zero violence in sport and to this end, different prevention, detection and reporting practices are carried out on each matchday, which are then reported to the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, as well as to the Public Prosecutor's Office for Hate Crimes. In the same way, LaLiga denounces and takes legal action in any criminal proceedings related to violent acts occurring within the sphere of football.