Dummy of Vinícius Júnior hanged off bridge ahead of derby
A dummy of Real Madrid for‐ ward Vinícius Júnior was hanged from a highway bridge early Thursday, hours before the team's match against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
The perpetrators used a black figure with Vinícius Júnior's name on it, tied a rope around its neck and hanged it from an over‐ pass in Madrid along with a ban‐ ner with the words "Madrid hates Real."
The banner and the figure ap‐ parently were attached to the bridge while still dark early Thursday morning.
Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to racist taunts more than once in Spain. The Brazil forward has complained on so‐ cial media about being targeted by racists since he came to play in Europe.
The message on the banner is often used by one of Atletico Madrid's ultra fans groups, though it denied being responsi‐ ble for the display.
"These are repugnant and inad‐ missible acts that shame soci‐ ety," Atletico said in a statement.
"Our condemnation of any act that attacks the dignity of per‐ sons or institutions is categorical and unreserved," the club said. "The rivalry between the two clubs is the greatest, but so is re‐ spect. No individual, whatever their intentions or colors, can tarnish the coexistence between different supporters. It is every‐ one's responsibility to avoid this."
Real Madrid thanked others for the messages of support it re‐ ceived after the "lamentable and repugnant act of racism, xeno‐ phobia and hatred against our player Vinícius."
"Attacks such as those suffered by our player, or those suffered by any sportsperson, have no place in a society such as ours,"
Real Madrid said.
The Spanish league said it "strongly condemns acts of ha‐ tred and intimidation" made against Vinícius. It said it would ask authorities to investigate and seek convictions with "the most severe sentences" for those re‐ sponsible.
"Intolerance and violence have no place in our sport," the league said in a statement.
The Spanish soccer federation condemned the "intolerable act" and offered a message of support to Vinícius following the "direct threat by radical groups."
"These types of manifestations, charged with hatred, only en‐ courage violence and have no place in our sport. Soccer must be lived with passion, but always respecting the players, the oppo‐ nent and the fans," the federation said. "This type of vandalism is unacceptable."
Atletico had already con‐ demned its fans when a large group of them chanted "Vinícius, you are a monkey" before Madrid's 2‐1 win in the city derby last year at the Metropoli‐ tano Stadium. Spanish state prosecutors closed a probe into that case citing a lack of suffi‐ cient evidence to identify poten‐ tial perpetrators of the hate crime.
The Spanish league this month filed criminal complaints against Valladolid fans who aimed racist insults against Vinícius, and he was also targeted by a fan who racially insulted him after a "clásico" against Barcelona in 2021.
The Copa del Rey derby had been engulfed in controversy fol‐ lowing a report that Madrid would prohibit Atletico fans from wearing team jerseys at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, something that Madrid later de‐ nied.