Valencia fined €45k and handed a partial stadium closure for racism against Vinicius

Valencia has been fined €45,000 and will have to close the stand where Vinicius Jr was racially abused for five games following a ruling by the Spanish FA (RFEF)

This is coming after the Spanish police announced that they’ve detained three people in connection with the abuse directed at the Brazilian at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, May 21. 

Valencia’s south stand will be closed and the club has 10 working days to appeal.

The RFEF said in a statement;

“The Competition Committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the match between the home team and Real Madrid CF.

“It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious. In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros is imposed on Valencia.

“It is possible to file an appeal, within 10 working days, before the Appeals Committee.”

Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse multiple times this season and the latest incident has seen him receive support from the footballing world.

Before the recent sanction, there has been widespread condemnation of how the incident has been handled, including from the Brazilian government.