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FOOTBALL

Banned footie fan takes complaint to top court

Germany's Constitutional Court is set to consider the complaint of a football fan who was banned from all stadiums in the country on the basis of suspicion that he was likely to be violent.

Banned footie fan takes complaint to top court
Photo: DPA

Der Spiegel magazine reported that Stuttgart-based lawyer Rüdiger Zuck, who represents the FC Bayern Munich fan, is to take the case to the highest court in the country.

The fan was banned from visiting any football match from the regional league upwards for two years, purely on the assumption that be would be violent.

An appeal against the decision, arguing it was unfair, was rejected by a federal court, leaving the Constitutional Court as the last place to try to overturn the ban.

The man concerned was 16 years old when he was among around 60 fans held by police after rioting during a Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Munich and Duisburg.

He has always insisted he was only watching the rioting from afar, and there was never evidence of him having taken part in the violence and an investigation was dropped.

Despite this, MSV Duisburg issued the ban, which was supported by the court on the basis that he belonged to the group of fans considered ready to use violence.

This was considered to justify the assumption that he was moving in an environment which tended towards violence and that it could be expected that he would be involved in violent acts.

Zuck’s appeal to the Constitutional Court is being supported by the Fanrechtefonds, a football fan organisation which campaigns for supporters’ rights.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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