Spanish prosecutors announced on Monday the opening of an investigation into alleged racist insults made by Atlético de Madrid supporters against a little girl wearing a jersey of Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr.
“Following a complaint filed by La Liga (the Spanish professional football league, editor’s note), the Madrid public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into a possible hate crime,” a criminal category including racist offenses, “after the insults (uttered) by Atlético Madrid supporters against a child and a woman,” the prosecution told AFP.
The events took place before the Madrid derby between Atlético and Real Madrid on Sunday September 24.
The aunt of this 8-year-old black child indicated on Cadena Ser radio that they had both been victims of racist insults by ultra supporters of the Frente Atlético group near the stadium.
She said that the little girl had been attacked because she was wearing a jersey of Vinicius Jr, a black striker for Real Madrid and a figure in the fight against racism in Spanish football.
Regular target of racist acts, the Brazilian was again targeted by insults in Valencia on May 28, which caused a wave of international indignation.
In June, four ultra Atlético supporters, accused of hanging a mannequin bearing the likeness of Vinicius Jr from a bridge in the Spanish capital at the end of January, were banned from stadiums for two years.
Real Madrid invited the little girl last Wednesday to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to give her a jersey in the presence of players such as Rodrygo, Militao, Vinicius, as well as president Florentino Perez.