Spanish club Albacete has said it is “pained and ashamed” after a banana was thrown at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during their Copa del Rey tie on Wednesday, alongside “disgusting xenophobic chants” outside its stadium.
Madrid were eliminated in a shock 3-2 defeat to the second-division side in new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s first game in charge.
The home side say they are investigating the incident and vowed to identify the perpetrators and ban them from their stadium.
“It is both painful and shameful that terrible, disgraceful, and reprehensible racist images tarnished a magical night,” a club statement read.
“We are working to identify the person who threw a banana onto the pitch. We are requesting the assistance of the relevant authorities and our fans, whose cooperation we ask for during this process.”
Albacete’s statement continued: “We wish to state that it will take all disciplinary measures within its power to ensure that, if possible, they never set foot in the Carlos Belmonte stadium again.
“Furthermore, the club expresses its complete condemnation of the disgusting xenophobic chants that a small group of fans uttered in the vicinity of the Carlos Belmonte stadium hours before the match.
“Finally, Albacete on behalf of all its exemplary fans, wishes to show its support for Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid and all Madridistas in the face of such despicable behaviour, reiterating our total commitment to the arduous task of eradicating from football — and from society in general — any racist, xenophobic or discriminatory behaviour.”
Vinicius Jr, 25, one of the best known stars in world football, has been repeatedly targeted for racial abuse at stadiums around Spain for several years. The Brazil international played the entirety of Wednesday’s game.
In March 2024, the Brazil international broke down in tears during an emotional press conference as he said that racism was getting worse because perpetrators were going unpunished and he felt “less and less like playing football”.
In June 2024, three people were sentenced to eight months in prison in Spain after being found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr in May 2023 during a La Liga fixture at Valencia. That was the first conviction for racist insults in a football stadium in Spain.
In September 2024, a fan was fined €60,001 and banned from sports stadiums for two years by a Spanish high court for racially abusing Vinicius Jr online. A Mallorca supporter was also sentenced to one year in prison for racially abusing Vinicius Jr and Samuel Chukwueze, then of Villarreal, in separate incidents.
In May 2025, five supporters were handed suspended prison sentences and fined for racist chants directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr during a match against Real Valladolid.
In August, La Liga reported alleged racist chanting directed towards Vinicius Jr and his Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe during Madrid’s match at Real Oviedo that month to Spain’s National Police.
Real Madrid are next in action against Levante in La Liga on Saturday.
Additional reporting from Guillermo Rai