A man in Spain has been sentenced to eight months in prison following racist online comments about German national player Antonio Rüdiger (31) and his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior.
In addition, the defendant is not allowed to use the forum on the website of the sports newspaper “Marca” for 20 months, where he insulted the two players – Rüdiger not only because of his skin color, but also because of his religion. The prison sentence was suspended and the man must take part in an anti-discrimination program.
“Marca” published a letter of apology from the convicted man, who assured that he “regrets” and is “ashamed” of his actions.
Real and Vinicius Junior as private plaintiffs
Real and Vinicius Junior acted as private plaintiffs in the proceedings. After the proceedings were concluded, the club thanked the participants of the online forum who had discovered the hate comments and reported them to the authorities and the club.
Real Madrid will “continue to work to protect the values of our club and eliminate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport,” the Champions League winner said.
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