Sevilla fan faces 21 months in prison over alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior

A Sevilla supporter will appear in court on Tuesday, two years after allegedly directing racist abuse at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

The public prosecution is seeking a sentence of one year and nine months in prison for an offence described as “against moral integrity”, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

The trial concerns an incident during Sevilla’s match against Real Madrid in 2023. Proceedings had been scheduled to begin last April but were postponed until Tuesday.

According to the indictment, the alleged abuse took place between the 83rd and 86th minutes. The accused was sitting in the north stand, close to the pitch, and repeatedly moved towards Vinicius while directing racist insults at him “with clear contempt for the colour of his black skin”, prosecutors said.

The prosecution says the incident caused the Brazil international “frustration, shame and humiliation”, damaging his dignity.

The alleged behaviour was described in detail in the indictment. It included imitating the movements of primates, repeatedly shouting “monkey” and making “ah, ah, ah, ah” noises intended to mimic an animal.

Television cameras clearly captured the gestures and sounds, providing what prosecutors consider decisive evidence in the case.

La Liga, which is a prosecuting party in the proceedings, filed a formal complaint immediately after the match. It reported the incident to the Competition Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and to the Anti-Violence Commission.

Sevilla also took action against the supporter. The Andalusian club identified him immediately, removed him from the stadium at the time of the incident and subjected him to its internal disciplinary procedures.

The club’s response was an important step in the process that ultimately led to the supporter facing court, following two years of legal proceedings.

The case is being closely watched as Spanish football continues its efforts to confront racism in stadiums. A conviction could establish an important legal precedent in the country’s campaign against racist abuse at football matches.