Vinicius Effigy Case: Four Atletico Madrid Ultras Receive Suspended Sentences

In January 2023, a dark-skinned effigy dressed in the jersey of Brazilian footballer Vinicius Jr. was found hanging from a highway bridge near the training ground of Real Madrid ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid. In May 2023, police arrested four men, all members of the ultra fan group Frente Atletico, believed to be responsible for this act.

In a plea deal that is still pending court approval, the four men entered guilty pleas to allegations of violating Vinicius’s fundamental rights and threatening him. After posting pictures of the incident online, three were given 14-month terms, and one was given a 22-month sentence.

Since the sentences were for non-violent offenses and none of the men had a prior criminal record, they will not serve jail time, which is standard practice in Spain for sentences under two years. Public prosecutors had sought four-year sentences for each of them.

The four individuals also submitted a letter of apology addressed to Vinicius, Real Madrid, La Liga, and the Spanish football federation. They are mandated to participate in a training program centered on equal treatment and non-discrimination. Furthermore, they faced fines and a prohibition from approaching Vinicius or any stadium within 1,000 meters for more than five years, as confirmed by La Liga.

La Liga said, “This ruling signifies significant progress in the battle against hate and discrimination in sports,” emphasizing that it had complained about the occurrence in the first place. Real Madrid reaffirmed their commitment to fighting racism in football and hailed the decision, saying it raises the total number of convictions for racist conduct against their players to 14.

In this case, which has garnered a lot of public attention and resulted in multiple convictions, Vinicius, who has been the target of multiple racial assaults since joining Real Madrid in 2018, testified via video call last month.