Spanish FA have amended punishment meted out to Valencia for racial abuse on Vinicius Jr on Sunday.
Valencia fans hurled racial slurs on Vinicius Jr at the Mestalla stadium during Valencia 1-0 win over Real Madrid last Sunday.
After the match, Vinicius Jr slipped into a bitter racism row with La Liga President Javier Tebas who was vigorously in defense of La Liga against Vinicius jr’s claim that the competition and Spain are racists.
The incident was met with a global outrage as footballers and football administrators called on La Liga to take action against racists.
Spanish Police swung into action after the heavy backlash with four suspects arrested.
Spanish FA hit Valencia with a partial stadium ban. The stand on which the fans hurled racial slurs on Vinicius Jr was closed for five matches.
The club was also slammed with a €40,000 fine while Vinicius Jr’s red card was rescinded.
However, Valencia were given 10 days to appeal the decision.
According to reports, Valencia have appealed the ban and the punishment earlier meted out to the club has been amended.
The Spanish Football Federation Appeal Committee confirmed Valencia’s initial €40,000 fine has been reduced to €18,000. The five-match partial stadium ban has also been equally reduced to three matches.
While the decision of the Spanish Football Federation Appeal Committee to amend the ban will be a hotly-debated topic, Valencia’s stance in the aftermath of the racial abuse on Vinicius Jr was impeccable.
The club issued an official statement condemning the racial attack by the fans on the Brazil international.
They, however, thanked well-behaved fans who turned out to support the team in the win over Real Madrid.
Vinicius Jr had threatened to walk off the match and personally attempted to fought back the racial slurs from the fans.
The match was paused for 10 minutes following the disruptive racial chants with on-field tensions growing.
Vinicius Jr was later sent off after he squared up with Valencia player, Hugo Duro in a heated clash.
Spanish legendary footballer and former Liverpool goalkeeper, Pepe Reina slammed the racial slurs hurled by Valencia fans on Vinicius Jr but cautioned the Brazil international to be more mature on the field especially during away games.
Brazil-born Spanish footballer, Gabriel Paulista, backed Valencia fans, calling them “the best” after the racial abuse on Vinicius Jr.
On Tuesday, La Liga used “no to racism” banners in all games to raise awareness and buckle down the trend of racism in the competition.
Real Madrid have assured Vinicius Jr of the club’s unflinching support and have filled a “hate crime” complaint to the office of Spain Attorney General to take action against the erring Valencia fans.
Vinicius Jr was linked to La Liga and Real Madrid exit amidst the racism row. We understand the Brazil international has committed his future to Los Blancos with a new contract.
