Four arrested on suspicion of publicly hanging an effigy of Vinicius Jr.

Vinicius Jr.

Spanish police have arrested four men suspected of hanging a dummy of Real Madrid striker Vinicius on a bridge- junior.

The arrests come two days after a racist slur was hurled at a 22-year-old Brazilian international during a La Liga top division match, causing international outcry.

Four men , who were arrested in Madrid on Tuesday, are «hate crime suspects for hanging a dummy wearing Vinicius's shirt on a bridge,» police said in a statement.

Police added that the three men are members of an ultrafan group of the Madrid football team, without specifying a specific club.

The Real Madrid striker (right) was racially abused during his team's match against Valencia on Sunday. Photo: Biel Alino/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. a road bridge near Real Madrid's training ground on January 26 before the team's match against Atlético Madrid.

Vinicius Junior was often targeted by opposition fans in the Spanish La Liga. The incident occurred during Sunday's 1-0 defeat. in Valencia only the latest.

The game was stopped for a few minutes, and the referee wrote in his post-match report that Vinicius was shouted «monkey».

Spanish prosecutors launched an investigation into the incident, which was condemned by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil , and Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain.

Brazil «deeply regrets» the incident

On Monday, amid widespread anger and public condemnation, Brazil said it had formally protested to the Spanish authorities. ambassador.

The Brazilian government has said Racial Equality Minister Aniel Franco will file a formal complaint with the Spanish and La Liga authorities.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the violence that sparked a flood of support for Vinicius, including from other stars Brazilian football Neymar Jr., Richarlison and former legend Ronaldo.

Brazil «deeply regrets that effective measures have not yet been taken to prevent the recurrence of these racist acts,» the government said. he said in a statement.

He called on the Spanish authorities to «punish those responsible and stop further cases,» and also called on FIFA, the Spanish Football Federation and La Liga to take «necessary measures.»

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Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation into the incident on Monday, and Spain's sports council said it was analyzing video images to «identify those responsible for these insults and behavior in order to propose appropriate sanctions.»

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