A doll in Vinícius's shirt hangs from a bridge near Real Madrid's training ground.
Credit: Twitter
(CNN) --
Spain's National Police have opened an investigation "for a possible hate crime" after a "doll" of Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior was found hanging from a bridge in Madrid, the police office reported. Spanish National Police press in Madrid to CNN.
In the videos that have spread on social networks, the figure, who was wearing a Real Madrid shirt with the name of Vinícius and the number 20 on the back, was seen hanging from a bridge near the Real Madrid training ground, along with a banner that read: "Madrid hates Real".
The police from the Hortaleza police station, the closest to the bridge, went to remove the "doll" as soon as they noticed it, this Thursday morning around 8:30 am local time (2:30 am Miami time). , but when they arrived, the banner that read "Madrid hates Real" was no longer hanging, according to the press office.
Real Madrid faced Atlético de Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey this Thursday night at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, with a 3-1 victory for the Merengue team.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Spanish league said it "strongly condemns the acts of hate and intimidation against Vinícius Jr."
"The League, as in the past, will press for the pertinent state security forces and bodies to investigate the matter, seeking convictions for those responsible and requesting the most severe penalties."
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Atlético said the doll was "disgusting and unacceptable" and that it "shames society".
"Our condemnation of any act that violates the dignity of people or institutions is absolute and unequivocal," the club said in a statement.
Vinícius, increasingly important and decisive for Real Madrid
"The rivalry between the two clubs is maximum, but so is respect. No individual, whatever their intentions or colors, can tarnish the coexistence between the two hobbies. It is everyone's responsibility to avoid it".
"We do not know who the author or authors of this despicable act is, but their anonymity does not help them evade their responsibility. We hope that the authorities manage to clarify the circumstances and that justice helps to banish this type of behavior."
Real Madrid said that it "wants to thank the signs of support and affection received after the unfortunate and disgusting act of racism, xenophobia and hatred against our player Vini Jr.".
"We express our strongest condemnation against these acts that violate the fundamental rights and dignity of people and that have nothing to do with the values that football and sport represent," he said in a statement.
"These attacks that our player is now suffering, or those that any athlete could suffer, cannot have a place in a society like ours."
"Real Madrid is confident that the responsibility of whoever has participated in these despicable acts will come to light."
Vinícius previously faced racist slurs from rival fans.
In Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Real Valladolid on December 30 last year, Vinícius said he was subjected to racist insults from the crowd, with videos on social media showing fans throwing objects at the striker. when he left the field when he was substituted.
Reuters reported that Vinícius later accused La Liga of inaction regarding racial abuse, to which the Spanish league said it filed a "criminal complaint for hate crimes before the Investigating Courts of Valladolid, supported by audiovisual evidence collected in the research carried out through images and audio clips published in open sources".
Vinícius Jr. fakes during Real Madrid's Champions League match against RB Leipzig on September 14, 2022, in Madrid.
Credit: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
According to Reuters, La Liga also said it would increase efforts to "erradicate any type of violence, racism or xenophobia inside and outside the stadiums."
In September 2022, a group of Atlético fans made racist chants against the 22-year-old player.
In a video posted on Twitter by Spanish radio station COPE, a large group of Atlético supporters could be heard outside Atleti's Metropolitano stadium chanting: "You're a monkey, Vinícius, you're a monkey."
The Spanish prosecutor's office closed an investigation last December into racist chants directed at Vinícius at the Atlético Metropolitano stadium because, according to prosecutors, it was not possible to identify the culprit, a source from the prosecution told CNN.
This happened two days after Vinícius condemned the racist criticism he received for his celebratory dances.
In September, in a Spanish Television program, Pedro Bravo, one of the main agents and president of the Association of Spanish Agents, compared the Brazilian's dance after scoring a goal with the behavior of a monkey, arguing that the forward did not respect his rivals and "should stop being cute".
Vinícius Jr., from Real Madrid, condemns the "racist" criticism for his goal-celebrating dance
Bravo was accused of using racist language by many on social media and later apologized on Twitter.
During the derby, after Rodrygo, Vinícius' teammate, opened the scoring and they both danced to celebrate, several Atlético supporters could be seen gesturing to the Brazilian couple.
Vinícius has referred to the racist insults he has received for his dances: "They say that happiness bothers. The happiness of a black Brazilian victorious in Europe bothers much more."
"But my desire to win, my smile and the sparkle in my eyes are much bigger than that. You can't even imagine. I was the victim of a xenophobic and racist comment. But none of that started yesterday. Weeks ago they began to criminalize My dances, dances that are not mine.
They belong to Ronaldinho, Neymar Jr., [Lucas] Paquetá, [Antoine] Griezmann, João Félix, Matheus Cunha…they belong to Brazilian funk and samba artists, reggaeton singers and black Americans,” he said.
"They are dances to celebrate the world's cultural diversity. Accept it, respect it. I'm not going to stop."
--Patrick Sung and Sammy Mngqosini contributed reporting.
Vinicius Jr.