Barcelona's public prosecutor closes racism case against Vinicius

Barcelona's Hate Crimes Prosecutor's Office has reached a decision on allegations that two Barcelona fans directed racist insults at Brazilian Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid's striker, during the 2023 El Clásico at Montjuïc Stadium. The prosecutor's office stated, after a lengthy investigation, that it was unable to determine the specific verbal insults directed at Vinicius and therefore requested that the case be dismissed. The prosecutor's office asserted that it found no evidence of a hate crime or degrading treatment, although the insults directed at the player were "hostile." The prosecutor's office considered that these insults did not cause a "provocative effect" among the fans and did not warrant the match being stopped. Accordingly, the prosecutor's office asked the investigating judge to refer the case to the Office for Equality and Non-Discrimination to consider opening disciplinary proceedings against the accused. Previous prison sentences have been handed down in Spain for fans who directed racist insults at Vinicius in La Liga stadiums, where the player has been subjected to similar situations in front of fans of other teams. It has even reached the point where Vinicius demanded that the 2030 World Cup be withdrawn from Spain if these disgraceful racist acts continue in stadiums.