Prosecutors in Madrid will not press charges over racist chanting aimed at Vinicius Junior before the Madrid derby after finding that they “lasted a few seconds” and did not constitute a crime.
A group of Atletico Madrid fans were filmed singing “Vinicius, you’re a monkey” outside the Civitas Metropolitano stadium ahead of the match — which Real Madrid went on to win 2-1 — on Sept. 18.
A complaint was subsequently filed by the anti-racist pressure group the Movement against Intolerance, while LaLiga also reported the chanting to the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee and Spain’s Anti-Violence Commission.
Prosecutors have now decided not to pursue the case. The news agency EFE reported that the Madrid Prosecutor’s Office determined that the chanting, while “unpleasant” and “disrespectful,” was not a criminal offence.
The prosecutor found that there was no specific act that a particular person could be charged with, EFE reported, and that the racist chanting, taking place in the context of a “fiercely contested” football match, “would not constitute a crime against the dignity” of Vinicius.
Vinicius — who is competing with Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar — said that fans found guilty of racist abuse should be banned for life from attending game after the incident.
“Those Atletico Madrid fans should never be allowed to step foot in a stadium again,” he told Globo in October. “That will make them suffer the consequences and reflect about their actions.”
In the days after the derby, Atletico Madrid condemned the chanting as “unacceptable,” saying they had “zero tolerance for racism” and adding that the club would expel any members who were identified as having taken part.