four men, arrested Tuesday in Spain for the hanging of a model bearing the image of Real Madrid player Vinicius, have been banned from the stadium, pending their possible trial, the Madrid court announced on Thursday (May 25th). A model wearing a Real Madrid player’s shirt was found hanging from a bridge on January 26, the day of a derby between Real and Atlético Madrid, under a banner reading “Madrid hates Real”.
The suspects were released on bail, after their police custody, with the prohibition until further notice to approach “within 1000 meters” of a La Liga stadium during football matches. This ban also extends to the Real Madrid training center, near which the model in the image of Vinicius Junior had been discovered.
Prosecuted for “attack on moral integrity” and “hate crime”, a criminal category including racist offenses in Spain, the suspects are awaiting a possible trial while the investigation continues. Three of them are active members of a group of ultra supporters.
A “racist act” and “repugnant” for the Madrid club
During their presentation before the judge, these four men erted their right to silence, according to the Madrid court, which specifies that the investigation is continuing pending their possible trial.
After this incident, Real Madrid denounced a “racist act” And “repulsive” against his 22-year-old player, a regular target of racist attacks, saying he hoped in a statement that those responsible would be punished.
The arrest of the four suspects came two days after supporters in Valencia greeted the Brazilian player with monkey cries during a Spanish league match last weekend.
These attacks sparked outrage in Spain and abroadprompting football authorities and Spanish authorities to raise their voices against a problem that has so far not been taken seriously enough in the country.
The World with AFP