Justice for Vinicius Jr! Multiple people punished for racist abuse of Real Madrid star

Seven people have been fined and banned for racially abusing Vinicius at various points this season, Spanish officials have announced.

Four men were fined €60,000 (£52,000/$64,000) each, and handed a two-year matchday ban for displaying an effigy of the Brazilian winger near Valdebebas, Madrid's training ground, in January.

A further three were handed €5,000 (£4,300/$5,400) fines, and barred from stadiums for a year after making racist gestures towards Vinicius during Madrid's clash with Valencia in May - an incident that saw play halted for several minutes. All three had been detained for two days following the match.

Vinicius has consistently been subject to abuse from rival fans over the course of the 2022-23 season, with Madrid filing official complaints at ten of the 19 away grounds that Los Blancos travelled to.

And although the authorities took action on Monday, La Liga has been less inclined to dish out punishments. Valencia had a part of its famous stadium, the Mestalla, closed for five games and were handed a fine, but that punishment was reduced. Other clubs, though, have not been sanctioned by the league or football federation.

Vinicius has taken issue with the league's lack of action, arguing on social media that: "The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi today belongs to racists." It led to a high-profile Twitter spat with league president Javier Tebas, who later apologised.