La Liga announced on Monday that three spectators who engaged in racial abuse towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during a match in Valencia last year have each received eight-month prison sentences.

The league said the conviction of the trio over an incident at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium on May 21, 2023 was the first for racist abuse at a football match in Spain.

The individuals have also been given a two-year stadium ban from any venue hosting La Liga matches, or games held under the jurisdiction of the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

La Liga said Valencia had co-operated with the investigation and had expelled the three people as members of the club.

A letter of apology to Vinicius from the defendants was read out during the hearing, La Liga said. “This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain, as it goes some way to redressing the disgraceful wrong suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those individuals who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse,” La Liga president Javier Tebas said.

“La Liga will identify them, report them, and there will be criminal consequences. I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity.

“We at La Liga can only respect the pace of justice, but once again we demand that Spanish legislation evolve to give LaLiga sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism.”