Four men have been arrested by Spanish police for their alleged involvement in hanging an effigy of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior from a bridge in Madrid back in January.
The arrests took place amidst global outrage following racist abuse aimed at the Brazilian international during a recent Spanish league match.
According to the police, three individuals were arrested separately in Valencia for their abusive behavior towards Vinicius Junior during the match. The four men apprehended in Madrid are suspected of committing a hate crime by hanging a mannequin wearing Vinicius’ shirt from a bridge.
🚩Estas son las imágenes de la detención de los 4 arrestados por #delitodeodio contra el jugador de #fútbol @vinijr
Tienen 19, 21, 23 y 24 años. Varios fueron identificados durante partidos de alto riesgo en dispositivos de @policia para la prevención de violencia en el deporte pic.twitter.com/X8jaGrZHRe
— PolicĂa Nacional (@policia) May 23, 2023
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The police stated that three of these men are members of an ultra-fan group associated with a Madrid football club, previously identified as posing a high risk of violence. Although the specific club was not mentioned by the authorities, Spanish media indicated that they were part of Atletico Madrid’s ultra fan group.
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The police released images of the suspects in handcuffs, escorted by officers, along with their statement. The dummy, wearing Vinicius Junior’s jersey, was hung by the neck from a highway bridge close to Real Madrid’s training ground before their match against Atletico Madrid.
Additionally, a banner displaying the message “Madrid hates Real” in the colors of Atletico Madrid was draped over the bridge. While one of Atletico Madrid’s ultra fan groups often uses this message, they denied responsibility for the display at that time.
Vinicius Junior has frequently faced targeting and abuse from opposition fans in La Liga, and he experienced similar treatment during the recent 1-0 loss against Valencia. The game was temporarily halted, and the referee mentioned in his post-match report that discriminatory chants, specifically referring to the player as a “monkey,” were directed at Vinicius.
Spanish prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the incident, which drew condemnation from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
