Last season was hopefully a watershed moment for Spanish football, as Vinicius Junior was constantly abused racially over the course of the season. This year has seen more occasional inicidents, but fortunately with much swifter action from the clubs and authorities. However one of the court cases from last season has been dropped.
The incident occurred last season in February during a match with Osasuna at El Sadar, where on camera someone from the crowd can be heard shouting racial insults at Vinicius. However the court has decided to archive the case, due to a lack of evidence.
“From the actions that occurred, it is clear that the facts could constitute a crime, but there is not enough data to know the identity of the perpetrators,” the court statement read, as per Marca.
While in general there has been a more concerted effort to catch racism in Spanish stadiums, there is a danger that those who are not punished empower racists to abuse players again provided they feel they have some anonymity. The Real Madrid star has taken it upon himself to take the fight to racism over the past 12 months, seeing La Liga take on an increased role in capturing and punishing racism.
