MADRID, May 25 : Four men detained in Spain earlier this week over a suspected hate crime in the hanging of a black effigy of Brazilian football star Vinicius Jr from a bridge have been released on bail, a Madrid court said on Thursday.
The men, who are also being investigated for an offense against Vinicius’ moral integrity, have been banned from approaching and communicating with the Real Madrid winger pending further investigation, a court statement said.
The inquiry was opened after an inflatable black effigy dressed in the No. 20 jersey of Vinicius Jr was hung from a bridge in front of Real Madrid’s training grounds before a match against Atletico Madrid in January.
Alongside it was a large red and white banner — the colors of Atletico — that read “Madrid hates Real”.
Three of the arrested men were members of “a radical group of fans of a Madrid club” who were previously flagged during matches as “high risk”, according to police.
The court said the four suspects are also banned from approaching the Real Madrid training grounds.
They will not be allowed within 1,000 meters of the Santiago Bernabeu and Civitas Metropolitano stadiums, nor any LaLiga stadium during football matches.
Vinicius Jr has been in the spotlight since Sunday when racist chants were hurled at him at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
His complaints about Spain and LaLiga not doing enough to fight racism have sparked a worldwide wave of support and a national debate in Spain.
Four detained for alleged hate crime against Vinicius freed on bail
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Four detained for alleged hate crime against Vinicius freed on bail
- The court said the four suspects are banned from approaching the Real Madrid training grounds
Patrick Habirora headlines PFL Brussels at Ing Arena in May
- PFL returns on May 23 with ‘The Belgian Bomber’ facing MMA legend Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson
NEW YORK: The Professional Fighters League returns to the ING Arena on Saturday, May 23, for PFL Brussels, with Belgium’s No. 10-ranked welterweight Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (8-0) facing former UFC champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson (30-12).
Habirora has seven victories coming by way of KO or TKO. He silenced doubters last December at PFL Lyon against his toughest test to date, Kevin Jousset.
A thunderous first-round knockout followed by relentless ground-and-pound sent the Lyon crowd into a frenzy and left many wondering how far he can go in MMA.
A former WEC and UFC champion, “Smooth” is a 20-year veteran and remains one of the most accomplished athletes of his era. Henderson has beaten Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar (twice), and Jorge Masvidal.
Recently sharpening his tools across grappling, karate, wrestling and boxing, Henderson now returns to MMA determined to prove his championship pedigree.
Upcoming PFL Schedule:
- Friday, March 20: PFL Madrid, Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain.
- Saturday, March 28: PFL Pittsburgh, UPMC Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Saturday, April 11: PFL Chicago, Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois.
- Thursday, April 16: PFL Belfast, SSE Arena Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Saturday, May 2: PFL Sioux Falls, Sanford Pentagon: Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- Saturday, May 23: PFL Brussels, ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium.
