Spanish prosecutors take action over racist abuse of Mbappe

Spanish public prosecutors want a man to be sent to jail for one year and pay a fine of €2,880 ($3,400).The man is accused of making monkey gestures after Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé scored a goal in a match last year.

This was the first racist incident against the French star since he joined Real Madrid in 2024. However, racist abuse is still common in La Liga.Prosecutors said the accused, "acting with evident contempt for the player’s skin colour," shouted and made "denigrating gestures" targeting Mbappe during a match against Real Oviedo in August.The gestures, including "simulating primate movements and sounds," were clearly audible to spectators, prosecutors said in a statement.Mbappé’s Brazilian teammate, Vinícius Junior, has often faced racist abuse since joining the club in 2018. He is now involved in another controversy.Vinícius says that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him during a Champions League match this month, but the Argentine player has denied the accusation. In January, Albacete fans were also reported to have chanted racist songs against Vinícius.

In May 2025, five Valladolid supporters were sent to prison for one year because of racist insults directed at Vinícius in 2022.Also, four members of an Atlético Madrid ultra group were given prison sentences for hanging a dummy of Vinícius in January 2023. However, their prison punishment was later changed to fines.