Brazil welcomes conviction for racist abuse of Vinicius

The Brazilian government on Monday welcomed the imposition of an eight-month prison sentence on three fans for racist insults against Real Madrid striker Vinicius Júnior at a Spanish league match.
Brazil's Minister of Racial Equality Anielle Franco said on social media that "the sentence is a firm step in the fight against racism".
Franco said the ruling also demonstrates the importance of continuing to "build public policies that promote equality and respect in sport and in all areas of life".
The minister also recalled that, as a result of these racist episodes against Vinicius, Brazil and Spain signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the fight against racism.
The sentence is the first criminal sanction to be applied in Spain for this type of behaviour on football pitches. The agreement was reached between the prosecution, the accusations and the defence, ratified on Monday in a court in Valencia, but it has been months in the making and means that the accused will not be sentenced to prison, as the agreement includes a suspended prison sentence.