Soccer star fires back at racist taunts

After three soccer fans in Spain were handed eight-month prison sentences on Monday after pleading guilty to racially taunting Vinícius Júnior, the Real Madrid star forward took to social media to react.

“Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football,’ Vinícius wrote. “But, as I’ve always said, I’m not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists.

“This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I’ll be here to collect. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come.”

Muitos pediram para que eu ignorasse, outros tantos disseram que minha luta era em vão e que eu deveria apenas “jogar futebol”.

Mas, como sempre disse, não sou vítima de racismo. Eu sou algoz de racistas. Essa primeira condenação penal da história da Espanha não é por mim. É por… https://t.co/NdezpJBjF2

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) June 10, 2024

The convictions of the three fans come as the result of an incident that occurred during a match between Valencia and Real Madrid in May 2023. The three fans were alleged to have made monkey gestures and sounds toward Vinícius while sitting behind the goal at Mestalla Stadium.

The 23-year-old forward, who is Black, immediately called attention to the fans and had tears in his eyes as the match was temporarily stopped. In addition to their prison sentences, the fans — who remain unnamed — won’t be allowed to enter soccer stadiums for two years and will have to pay for the court proceedings.

Vinícius is considered one of soccer’s best young players. Last week, he scored a goal in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final.

[Associated Press]