Soccer: Four people are being held in Spain for launching a hate campaign against Vinicius of Real Madrid

According to authorities on Thursday, four individuals have been detained and interrogated in Spain on suspicion of running an internet hate campaign that incites supporters to disparage Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. based on his race.

According to authorities, the guys were arrested on October 14 and 15 before being freed as inquiries into social media posts that encouraged supporters to wear face masks in order to taunt the Black Brazil team anonymously proceeded.

These were the first arrests made public by law enforcement officials connected to the operation, which aimed to target the 24-year-old in the lead-up to the derby between Atletico Madrid and the Spanish capital on September 29 at the Metropolitano stadium. #MetropolitanoConMascarilla (Metropolitano with a Mask) was the hashtag utilized.

Following taunts from the stands during a game at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium last year, Vinicius Jr., who has been the target of abuse at several games, labeled La Liga and Spain racist.

The first conviction for racist slurs in a Spanish soccer stadium occurred in June when three Valencia football supporters were each given eight months in prison for hate crimes against Vinicius Jr.

Spain’s National Police did not identify the four individuals on Thursday, and their attorneys did not immediately provide a statement. A judge will conduct an investigation and ultimately determine whether there is sufficient evidence to move on with a trial under Spanish legal procedures.

According to police, “significant social alarm” was raised after the web campaign went viral. The force also stated that the investigation is still ongoing and may result in additional arrests.

The day before the altercation, LaLiga intervened, declaring that it was demanding the arrest of all those engaged in the campaign, which it claimed amounted to inciting hatred.

Although there were no significant reports of racial abuse during that game, objects being thrown onto the field caused the derby versus Real Madrid to be halted for a number of minutes.

The Madrid prosecutor’s office launched a criminal inquiry Thursday to find the fans who threw objects at Thibaut Courtois, the goalie for Real Madrid and a former Atletico player.

Due to the occurrences, the Spanish soccer association RFEF forced Atletico to play last weekend’s 3-1 victory against Leganes while partially closing the stadium.

The government’s Anti-Violence Committee has recommended a two-week complete closure of the Metropolitano Stadium in addition to a 65,000 euro ($70,174) fine as a further punishment for the Madrid derby disturbances.

La Liga filed a report with Spain’s Commission Against Violence after the derby incidents, citing 142 alleged incidents involving Atletico’s Frente Atletico “ultras,” or hard-right supporters, that date back to 2015.

LaLiga demanded that the Frente Atletico be banned and said that it will lodge a criminal complaint.

Atletico Madrid stated earlier this month that they were dedicated to implementing internal disciplinary procedures against its associates involved in racist, xenophobic, or intolerant incidents, but they did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Atletico also made the decision to deny some of its fans tickets to the team’s upcoming five away games across all competitions.

$1 is equivalent to 0.9263 euros.