Valencia will file an appeal against the five-game partial stadium suspension and sizable fine imposed as a result of the racial taunts directed at Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior.
The club describes the penalty as “unfair and disproportionate.”
After being subjected to what were allegedly monkey chants from the crowd during the second half of Sunday’s LaLiga game at the Mestalla, Vinicius threatened to leave the field.
Madrid also claimed the event constituted a “hate crime” and filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.
As a result, the club has been fined 45,000€ (£39,000) by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Furthermore, they have also been told to close the Mario Kempes south stand for five matches.
The Valencia Statement
Valencia said in a strongly worded statement: “Valencia CF wishes to show its total disagreement and indignation at the unfair and disproportionate penalty imposed by the competition committee on the club with the closure of the stand for five games.
“Valencia CF wants to publicly denounce that in this resolution of the RFEF competition committee they show evidence that contradicts what the national police and LaLiga say.
“In addition, this sanction is based on evidence that the club has not been able to see and without giving us a hearing.
“Valencia CF has condemned, condemns and will condemn in the most energetic way any act of racism or violence. These behaviours have no place in football or in society and we will continue to act in the most forceful way to eradicate this scourge.
“For this reason, Valencia CF is collaborating from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred last Sunday.
“In addition, it has applied the maximum possible sanction with the expulsion for life from our stadium to the fans that the police have identified for their racist behaviour.
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“For this reason we consider that penalising and depriving all the fans who were not involved in these unfortunate incidents from seeing their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair and unprecedented measure against which we will fight.
“The fight against racism requires the real commitment of all the parties involved without using it as a pretext to incur serious injustices.
“Valencia CF will appeal to the last instance the closure of the stand, a sanction that it considers totally unfair and one more offence in the latest disciplinary decisions that have been taken against the club.
“Valencia CF asks for the utmost respect and rigour for our institution and fans.”
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