Spanish football is witnessing an exceptional year in terms of judicial rulings related to racism in stadiums, with six different rulings issued in recent months against fans who directed racist insults at players, with Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior being the most prominent victim.

The Beginning with Iñaki Williams

The latest ruling issued in Barcelona, concerning racist insults directed by an Espanyol fan at Athletic Bilbao player Iñaki Williams in 2020, is the sixth in less than a year. The court sentenced the accused to one year in prison and banned him from playing football for two years, marking the first criminal case of its kind inside Spanish stadiums.

Vinícius at the Heart of the Events

Vinícius’s name appeared in several incidents, most notably at Mestalla Stadium when an eight-month prison sentence was issued against three fans after insults directed at him. Another person was also sentenced in July 2024 to eight months in prison for racist comments against Vinícius and his teammate Antonio Rüdiger on the Marca newspaper website.

In September of the same year, a court in Palma issued a one-year prison sentence against a Mallorca fan after he directed racist phrases at Vinícius and Samuel Chukwueze. The sentence also included insults directed at Aurélien Tchouaméni and throwing water bottles at him.

Threats in Valladolid and Madrid

In May 2025, another conviction came against five men for racist insults directed at Vinícius during a match against Valladolid at the end of 2022, sentencing them to one year in prison on hate crime charges.

One month later, four members of the far-right group “Frente Atlético” admitted to hanging a doll shaped like Vinícius’s jersey before the Madrid derby. They were sentenced to prison terms between 14 and 22 months, but the sentences were replaced with fines and bans from attending matches.

The New Victim: Lamine Yamal

The latest case was not related to Vinícius but to Barcelona’s young player Lamine Yamal, who was subjected to racist insults during the Clasico in October 2024. One minor has already admitted to the offense and was punished with social and educational duties and banned from entering stadiums for one year.

A Troubling Phenomenon in Spanish Football

Six judicial rulings in less than a year reveal the growing problem in Spanish stadiums, where racist insults against dark-skinned players have repeatedly occurred, mostly targeting Vinícius Júnior, who has become a symbol of this battle both on and off the pitch.