Vinicius Jr suffers racist abuse ahead of Real Madrid's Copa del Rey tie with Albacete

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior

Racist chants against Real Madrid's much-abused Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr were heard outside the ​Carlos Belmonte stadium on Wednesday ahead of a Copa del Rey tie ‌against second division side Albacete.

A group ‌gathering near the stadium in the city of Albacete chanted abuse about the 25-year-old, who has repeatedly suffered racism ⁠in Spain during games.

"Enough of this racism, ‌it's completely shameful. It's not the image ​that represents the people of Albacete or the club," Albacete posted on social media.

VinDcius was named in Alvaro Arbeloa's starting line-up for the ‌round of 16 cup game, his first match in charge as0Real Madrid manager since the exit of Xabi ⁠Alonso.

In May 2025, five people received prison sentences in a landmark first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a stadium as a hate crime after Vinicius was abused during Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid in 2022.

There have been 18 legal complaints ⁠of racist behaviour against Vinicius ‌since 2022. Real Madrid had no immediate comment on Wednesday's latest incident.

Vinicius has in the past expressed disappointment with what he describes ⁠as inadequate responses from governing ​bodies.