Spanish police have arrested four individuals for allegedly orchestrating an online campaign promoting racism and hate against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.
The campaign reportedly encouraged supporters to racially abuse the 24-year-old Brazilian, urging them to wear black face masks to evade identification, police confirmed.
Vinicius Jr., who has been a target of racial abuse multiple times, became emotional earlier this year during a press conference, stating that these incidents have made him feel “less and less” like playing football.
The four men were detained on October 14 and 15, then released pending further investigation. The police have not disclosed their names, and no statements have been issued by legal representatives.
The investigation is ongoing and may result in more arrests after the online campaign went viral, raising “significant social alarm.”
The first wave of arrests linked to this campaign occurred on September 29, ahead of the La Liga derby at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium. The campaign, under the hashtag “Metropolitano with a mask,” did not result in reported racist incidents during the match, although the game was temporarily halted due to objects thrown onto the field.
This follows a previous incident in June when three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing Vinicius during a match in May 2023.
In August, Vinicius stated that he and his teammates would walk off the pitch if they encountered further racist abuse, stressing that halting games may be the only way to eliminate racism from football.
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