The judicial process initiated by LaLiga for the racist insults that the Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr. received at Mestalla by three fans has taken another step this Monday with the statement of two defendants. The two young people, one of them accompanied by his parents, have admitted before the judge that they made gestures that could be interpreted as racist towards the Brazilian soccer player, although there was no motivation to justify the accusation of a hate crime that both LaLiga, which filed the complaint and is represented as an accusation, as the Prosecutor's Office. Despite Real Madrid's announcement that it would defend its player, the white club has not appeared in a case that the employers started with a complaint in court.

The two young defendants have only responded to the questions of their lawyers and one of them also to those of the judge and have reiterated that they did not insult Vinicius, but they did make gestures, as can be seen in the recordings provided to the case, and that they were the result of the provocation of the footballer, who went to the stands on more than one occasion.

Both have been accompanied by their lawyers and even the third of them, who had requested a postponement to appear on the 11th for personal reasons, was represented by his lawyer, Manuel Izquierdo, who considers that this entire case “has been taken out of context”.. “It was a specific problem, they are three kids who have just turned 18, they do not belong to any radical gang, nor Yomus, nor Latinos, they are normal people. This has nothing to do with a hate crime.. It could be an insult, but not a hate crime,” he insisted.

Another of the investigated, along with his parents. AFP

In his opinion, “these kids have been taken as the scapegoats of a general cause against racism, and what these three boys are accused of could be accused of many other spectators, who were sitting even in other more noble parts of the stadium”.

Yes, one of those identified in the following days through the images declared, who arrived at the court accompanied by his parents, and the young man who was immediately expelled because Vinicius pointed his finger at him. That is why he recognized the gestures, but his lawyer, Juana Blázquez, assured that they could fit into a supposed offense of insult, but not hate.. “My client does not want to publicly say anything. His gestures do not have any intention of hate crime towards that player or another black race. He has recognized the images, but has given his version that he has no racist intention against that player or against any. Everything happened within the context of a match in which the images show that the player spends the entire match provoking the stadium and the fans and at a specific moment you can see how he faces the fans,” he said.

These statements have been heard in person by the judge, the prosecutor specializing in hate crimes, Susana Gisbert, and LaLiga's lawyer, Francisco Martínez, as the entity that denounced and the only one that exercises private prosecution in this and nine other complaints that were filed for insults against Vinicius. What's more, it has been his effort to tackle these attitudes that have put two Espanyol fans on the bench for insults and gestures towards Iñaki Williams, the first case of racism in a Spanish stadium that can end with a two-year prison sentence. prison.

The Spanish Federation also attended that statement electronically, and with some technical problem that the LaLiga lawyer helped solve.

Francisco Martínez, lawyer for LaLiga. B.. ALIÑO EFE Statement by Vinicius

Key to arming the alleged hate crime is Vinicius's statement next Tuesday, June 27. The soccer player will give his testimony by videoconference, and in this same act it is foreseeable that he will be offered the possibility of being part of the process as a victim. The members of the Mestalla security who controlled the entertainment stands in the match against Real Madrid will also have to appear.

Valencia, which is not in the case, announced that it was opening a file and expelling the three fans for life. However, their lawyers confirmed that they have appealed that decision because that file was resolved without giving them time to present allegations.