The head of the Investigating Court number 10 of Valencia has initiated preliminary proceedings to investigate the racist insults directed at the Real Madrid player Vinicius Júnior last Sunday, May 21, during the Santander League match between this team and Valencia CF in the Mestalla stadium. The court has opened the procedure after receiving a police report in which indications of the possible commission of a hate crime are perceived.
For its part, the Appeals Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has reduced from five to three games the penalty for the partial closure of a stand at the Mestalla Stadium due to the incidents at Valencia-Real Madrid after estimating, in partially, the appeal formulated by the Valencian group on the closure of the Grada Mario Kempes of the Ché fiefdom. In addition, it reduces the financial fine from the 45,000 euros imposed by the Competition Committee to 27,000.
Regarding the judicial resolution, which was notified this Friday, the magistrate has agreed to summon the three spectators who were arrested this Tuesday by the National Police in relation to these incidents as investigated. Prior to that statement, the three investigated must appear in court. A complaint for the same facts filed by the National Professional Soccer League, an entity that is already considered a person in the case as a private accusation, has accumulated to these preliminary proceedings.
Likewise, the instructor has agreed to communicate the initiation of the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and to issue a request to the Courts of Madrid to enable the necessary technical means to allow Vinicius Jr. to take a statement by videoconference, as the injured party.
On the other hand, in response to the investigative procedures requested by the League in its complaint, the order reflects that the recorded images of the incidents have already been collected and examined by the National Police and are included in the report. However, the magistrate has resolved to send a letter to Valencia CF in order to urge it to keep this audiovisual material, from the 72nd minute of the game, in case at any time during the investigation it had to be required.
In addition, the court will summon the Valencian club to identify some security guards who were working on the day of the game in order to summon them to testify as witnesses.
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