By CNN
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LaLiga has filed a complaint to a Barcelona court after Real Madrid star Vinícius Jr. was racially abused during El Clásico at the Camp Nou on Sunday.
Vinícius has been the victim of racist abuse on numerous occasions this season, including during matches at Atlético Madrid, Real Valladolid, Real Mallorca and Osasuna.
“In view of the events that took place at the FC Barcelona-Real Madrid match, in which intolerable racist behaviour was once again observed against Vinicius Jr, LaLiga has reported the racist insults to the Barcelona Court of Instruction,” Spain’s top league said in a statement on Thursday.
LaLiga has also set up a complaints channel on its website to allow fans to submit information that might help identify the perpetrators. FC Barcelona did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
In a statement sent to CNN last month, LaLiga said four cases of racist abuse against Black players have been archived by local courts, with failure to identify those responsible among the reasons.
Several organizations have been critical of the convoluted complaint process in Spain.
Last month, LaLiga detailed to CNN Sport 12 separate cases of racist abuse directed at Black footballers dating back to January 2020 that it has passed on to local authorities.
As of yet, there have been no punishments handed down by Spain’s leading football authority – the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) – or any local prosecutors, but investigations into some cases are still ongoing.
LaLiga told CNN it does not have the authority to punish fans or clubs for instances of racist abuse.
Piara Powar, the executive director of the Fare Network, an organization set up to combat discrimination across European football, says football leagues and authorities in Spain are “washing their hands” of these incidents.
Then, either through disinterest or a lack of understanding of football and the gravity of these incidents, local prosecutors are not adequately dealing with the investigations, Powar says.
