‘MADRID HATES REAL’

Spanish Cops Arrest 7 for Racial Abuse Against Vinícius Jr.

Police said three of four men arrested in Madrid were members of a “radical” fan group who were previously identified as “high risk.”

After two incidents of racial abuse against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Junior from rival Atlético de Madrid fans, seven people have been arrested for partaking in hate crimes, Spanish police said Tuesday. Four men were detained in Madrid for allegedly dangling a doll wearing a Vinícius jersey from a bridge close to his club’s training grounds in January, ahead of a Copa del Rey showdown between the two local teams. The doll hung alongside a red and white banner declaring “Madrid hates Real,” a slogan associated with die-hard Atlético’s fanatics. Of the four men, three have been identified as “active members of a radical fan group” that have previously been dubbed “high risk,” according to a police statement to CNN. The other three arrests were made in connection to racist insults flung at Vinícius during a match against Valencia on Sunday. “Racism is normal in LaLiga,” the Brazilian footballer wrote on Twitter the same day. “The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists.”