A user of the Spanish sports newspaper forum Brand has been sentenced to eight months in prison, Real Madrid announced on Wednesday via official channels. The convict posted racist messages under various pseudonyms to Vinícius Júnior and Antonio Rüdiger, among others, and has been convicted by the Spanish court for this.

Through the forum of Brand one user posted racist messages for a long time. It is the second time that a person has been convicted for racist behavior towards Vinícius Júnior, but it is the first time that someone has been prosecuted for online racism.

The person has been officially convicted of serious insults and racism and of “contempt for the religion” of Rüdiger, who is an outspoken Muslim.

An eight-month prison sentence and a ban on using the forum is the punishment imposed on the offender by the court. The prison sentence can still be converted into a suspended sentence, provided that he follows a program on equality and the fight against discrimination.

The lawsuit came after Real Madrid and Vinícius Júnior filed a complaint. The club said in the statement that it will continue to work to combat all forms of racism and to safeguard the club's values ​​and standards.

The press release from the Madrid club reveals that several forum users had reported the racist messages to the newspaper and to the club, which led to action being taken.

Last season, Valencia supporters were already convicted for racist statements towards Vinícius Júnior.

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