Valencia threaten legal action over Vini Jr. doc racism claim

Valencia have asked for an “immediate rectification” from the producers of Vinícius Júnior’s Netflix documentary, saying the film’s portrayal of the racist abuse suffered by the Real Madrid forward at Mestalla “does not correspond with reality.”

The documentary — which was released worldwide last week — was produced by Brazilian production company Conspiraçao for the streaming service, and tells the story of the player’s life and career, with a focus on recent seasons.

In one, key scene, it chronicles the events of May 21, 2023, when Vinícius confronted a group of Valencia fans who had racially abused him during Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Mestalla, leading the game to be temporarily suspended.

A year later, three fans received prison sentences and stadium bans over the incident, in the first guilty verdict of its kind in Spain.

However, Valencia have objected to the suggestion that the abuse was widespread inside the stadium.

In the documentary, crowd footage is used — filmed on a mobile phone — and subtitled to suggest that fans are chanting “mono,” or ‘monkey’ in Spanish, at Vinícius.

The club and fans have claimed that the majority were instead chanting “tonto,” or ‘stupid.’

“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,” Valencia said in a brief statement on Monday. “The truth and respect for our fans must prevail. Valencia CF reserves the right to take legal action.”

Valencia previously threatened legal action against Vinícius’ Madrid and Brazil teammate Rodrygo, after he said in 2023 that the “entire stadium” had racially abused Vinícius.

The incident at Mestalla caused outrage around the world and sparked a wave of support for Vinícius, and calls to better tackle the issue of racism in Spanish football.

Vinícius was named FIFA’s The Best Men’s player in 2024, and was runner-up in the 2024 Men’s Ballon d’Or.