Real Madrid lodges hate crime complaint over Vinicius incident

MADRID: Real Madrid have lodged a hate crime complaint with Spanish prosecutors over racist chants hurled at Brazilian player Vinicius Jr during Sunday's match at Valencia's Mestalla stadium, the club said in a statement on Monday.

"Real Madrid C.F. shows its strongest rejection and condemns the events that occurred yesterday against our player Vinicius Jr," it said.

The attacks, in its view, "constitute a hate crime" for which the club has filed a complaint with the State Attorney General's Office, the club said.

Separately, the Movement Against Intolerance (MCI) and the Association of Spanish Soccer Players (AFE) said in a joint statement they had also filed a complaint with the same prosecutor's office, citing racial slurs against the Black player.