Following the incident of racist abuse that occurred towards Vinicius Junior during Sunday’s match between Valencia and Real Madrid, the RFEF’s Competition Committee has taken their stance on the situation.
As per an official statement, the RFEF have stated that Valencia have been fined €45,000 over the incident. As well as this, the Mario Kempes south stand, from where Vinicius was racially abused, has been closed for five matches.
This means that no Valencia fans will be allowed in that stand for their match against Espanyol this weekend, as well as the club’s first home games next season.
It is the first time that a partial stadium closure punishment has been given this season, despite the fact that there have been multiple incidents of racist abuse to Vinicius, as well as other players including Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze.
It is a step in the right direction, although there is little doubt that there is a long way to go before a stage can be reached whereby racist abuse in football, and especially Spanish football, can be eradicated.
