Vini Jr: Valencia CF threaten legal action over Netflix documentary about Vinicius Jr after portrayal of racial abuse
Spanish La liga side Valencia CF has threatened legal action against the producers of a new Netflix documentary about Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr.
Vini Jr was released on the streaming platform on May 15 and follows the young Brazilian star as he charts his rise to the top of the sport. However, one huge moment in the documentary, which is produced by Brazilian production company Conspiraçao, has sparked controversy.
Valencia CF has threatened legal action against the documentary makers after the film put focus on racial abuse that the Real Madrid player experienced during a match between the two sides in May 2023. Scenes showed Vinicius Jr confronting a group of Valencia fans who were alleged to have been showing racist abuse at the star during Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea halted the game after being altered to the abuse by Vinicius Jr and proceeded to follow the league’s racist abuse protocol. Three men involved in the incident were found guilty of racial abuse and received prison sentences and stadium bans, in a first-of-its-kind conviction relating to football in Spain.
However, Valencia has objected to the incident’s portrayal in the documentary film, which the club says alleges that racist abuse was widespread in the stadium. One moment during the film shows footage filmed from a mobile phone in the stands, with the subtitles claiming that fans were chanting ‘mono’, meaning ‘monkey’ in England.
Instead, Valencia has claims that fans were shouting ‘tonto’, which means ‘stupid’. The club has now demanded that the scene is edited, and has threatened legal action is changes are not made.
Valencia CF said in a statement: "In light of the injustice and falsehoods committed against Valencia CF fans, the Club has demanded in writing an immediate rectification from the documentary's production company regarding the events at Mestalla, which do not correspond to reality. The truth and respect for our fans must prevail. Valencia CF reserves the right to take legal action."
Striker Hugo Duro commented on the situation over the weekend, saying: “Anybody who’s gone to Mestalla, anybody who’s seen the video, you can see ‘tonto’ is said. I don’t know why we want to subtitle it with something that wasn’t said.
“Three idiots — I think it was three, I don’t remember anymore, however many there were — were punished in the way they deserved and not for that does the rest deserve to be tarnished as a racist fanbase when it’s a lie and there’s lots of videos that show it.”