MADRID (AP) — The Spanish league filed another complaint with authorities Thursday after racial slurs were directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
It was the league’s seventh official complaint for slurs against a Brazilian player who is black. The latest complaint came after someone called him a monkey during Madrid’s 0-0 draw with Real Betis on Sunday.
The complaint was sent to a court in Seville to try to identify the person and take appropriate legal action against the person. “Betis” is in Seville.
Vinicius has been subjected to racist abuse since he arrived to play in Spain five years ago, although very little has been done to punish the fans.
Some of the league’s complaints have already been dismissed by Spanish prosecutors.
Last month, Spain’s anti-violence commission recommended a 4,000 euro ($4,200) fine and a 12-month stadium ban for a fan who called Vinicius a monkey in a league match against Mallorca.
Valladolid recently suspended 12 season ticket holders amid an investigation into their alleged verbal abuse of Vinicius.
The first trial against a fan who racially abused a player in Spain is expected to begin this year, following the Espanyol supporter’s remarks against Atletico Bilbao forward Ignacy Williams several years ago.
In addition, authorities have yet to find those responsible for hanging a stuffed Vinicius on a bridge in Madrid before a derby against Atletico Madrid last month.
The league has increased the number of monitors at matches to try to identify those responsible for insulting players, especially when Vinicius is playing.
To speed up the identification process, the league has created a complaint channel through its website for fans who may have images or any information about the perpetrators.
Attacks on Vinicius became more frequent after he started celebrating his goals by dancing. Some players accused him of provoking them and antagonizing fans during games.
Betis forward Aitor Ruibal said after Sunday’s match against Madrid that “it’s normal” for fans to insult Vinicius and opposing players to try to foul him because of the way he plays. The Betis player received a lot of backlash for his comments and later said his words were taken out of context.
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