Four guys have been detained in Spain on suspicion of hanging a dummy of Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior from a bridge in Madrid in January.
The arrests come on the heels of an international outrage over racial comments directed at the 22-year-old Brazilian international during a Spanish league play on Sunday.
According to the authorities, three males were arrested separately in Valencia for verbally abusing Vinicius Junior during the match.
The four guys were detained in Madrid and are “suspected of a hate crime for hanging from a bridge a mannequin wearing Vinicius’ jersey,” according to police.
Three of the males are members of an ultra-fan group of a Madrid football team who have been identified as posing a significant risk during matches.
While the authorities did not specify which club the ultras belonged to, Spanish media said that they were members of Atletico Madrid’s ultras.
The police announcement was followed by photographs of the suspects in handcuffs and being led by cops.
On January 26, before Real Madrid’s match against Atletico Madrid, a dummy sporting Vinicius Junior’s jersey was hung by the neck from a motorway bridge near the club’s training complex.
A banner in Atletico Madrid’s red and white colors with the slogan “Madrid hates Real” was also hung over the bridge.
The statement is frequently used by one of Atletico Madrid’s extreme supporter groups, though it disputed responsibility for the display at the time.
Vinicius Junior has frequently been targeted by opposing supporters in La Liga, and he was once again in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Valencia.
The game was stopped for many minutes because of “monkey” chants aimed towards Vinicius, according to the referee’s post-match report.
The event, which was criticized by both Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was investigated by Spanish authorities.
Accountability demands
Real Madrid has filed a complaint “to have the facts examined and those responsible held accountable.”
The chants, according to the club, “constitute a hate crime.”
In Brazil, the lights of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro were turned down for one hour to show support with the player.
Vinicius described the darkened monument as “black and intimidating,” adding he was moved and thanking fans for their support.
“But, above all, I want to encourage and shed light on our battle,” he concluded.
The Brazilian government has publicly objected to the Spanish embassy and intends to file an official complaint with Madrid authorities.
Brazil “truly regrets that no effective steps to avoid the repetition of these racist crimes have yet been adopted,” the government stated in a statement.
Following the match on Sunday, the footballer released a video montage on Instagram showing several of the instances he has encountered while in Spain, labeling them “inhuman.”
He also stated emphatically that “now, in Brazil, Spain is recognized as a country of racists.”
“Racism now owns the league that formerly belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano [Ronaldo], and Messi,” Vinicius continued.