Vinicius Junior refuses apology, testifies against racist Mallorca fan

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has testified against a Mallorca fan accused of racially insulting him during a Spanish league game in February.

Vinicius testified via video conference, saying he was offended by the insults and that similar incidents had happened at other matches.

The Brazilian forward also said that he would not accept an apology from the Mallorca fan and wants them to be fully punished. The fan, who has not been publicly identified, was also in court and apologized for the incident.

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The fan was accused of also racially abusing Villarreal midfielder Samu Chukwueze in another league match. Both Vinícius and Chukwueze are black.

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Spain’s anti-violence commission fined the fan €4,000 ($4,300) and banned him from stadiums for a year, while Mallorca revoked his club membership for three years.

Vinicius has been subjected to insults since arriving in Spain five years ago.

The Spanish league has filed several formal complaints to authorities over insults against the Brazilian forward, with some complaints being shelved.

The Spanish league has increased the number of monitors at matches to identify perpetrators when Vinícius plays. The league has also called on the authorities to find those responsible for hanging Vinícius’ effigy from a bridge in Madrid earlier this year.

Valladolid recently suspended 12 season ticket holders while investigating the alleged verbal abuse of Vinícius.

Spain’s first trial against a fan who racially insulted a player is expected to begin this year. It follows remarks by an Espanyol supporter against Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams several years ago.