Tag: Real Madrid

Fede Valverde scored a stunning goal in the 93rd minute, helping Real Madrid maintain their pursuit of Barcelona in the La Liga title race with a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Madrid stayed four points behind Barcelona after Valverde smashed into the top corner with a sliced, swerving effort.

After the Champions League elimination by Arsenal, it looked like Madrid were set for another devastating result until the Uruguay international’s stoppage-time intervention.

“Fede has such a good shot… in training yesterday he shot a ball that looked like it was going out and then it picked up a curl like that and you go ‘how do you shoot like that?'” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Athletic Bilbao, who reached the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday by beating Rangers, rotated heavily.

Despite that, the Basque side proved a hard nut for Madrid to crack, especially with their top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe both suspended and recovering from an ankle problem.

The forward was whistled by some fans for his failure to help the team overcome Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek when he was shown watching the game on the stadium screens.

“Valverde was key in this game because he scored the goal,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “The team was good, a bit slower in the first half but very good in the second.”

“We wanted to win, we wanted to react after the elimination against Arsenal — the team came through and Fede was the key player.”

Vinicius, who was previously criticised by Ancelotti for a lack of defensive work ethic, was running hard on the left, which fans at the Santiago Bernabeu appreciated.

The Brazilian has struggled for form at times this season but was Madrid’s brightest player against Athletic, giving Unai Nunez a difficult night.

Real Madrid played with intensity after their European elimination, trying to keep La Liga in their sights after Barcelona made a late comeback to beat Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Rodrygo Goes came close early in the second half before Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon saved from Eduardo Camavinga.

The hosts began to push Athletic deeper and started to create better chances.

Vinicius bent a delicious cross with the outside of his boot into the six-yard box for Jude Bellingham to meet, but Simon made an excellent save to tip over his header.

Fede Valverde fired narrowly wide of the near post, and Vinicius did find the net, but Endrick was offside in the build-up.

Bellingham appealed for a penalty after going down softly in the area and then fired over from close range in the final stages.

It was the kind of chance the England international managed to turn into late match-winning goals last season as he inspired Madrid to La Liga and Champions League glory.

Instead, it was Valverde who took up that role with his sublime blast, which left Simon with no chance.

“Valverde has an extraordinary shot,” said Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde. “We had a really good game (but) they are individually very good, Vinicius was very good.”

Madrid’s victory offers them hope of salvaging their season and a morale boost ahead of next weekend’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

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Jurgen Klopp is “very happy” in his current post at Red Bull despite rumours linking him to a return to management with Real Madrid, his agent said Friday.

The former Liverpool manager became Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer in January, taking care of a stable of clubs including RB Leipzig, the New York Red Bulls and Bragantino in Brazil.

Real Madrid’s quarter-final elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal this week has led to speculation that manager Carlo Ancelotti is headed for the exit at the end of the season.

German media reported that Klopp was one of the names that the Spanish giants want to take over in the Bernabeu dugout.

Asked about the rumours, his agent Marc Kosicke said 57-year-old Klopp was enjoying his new job.

“Jurgen is very happy with his new role with Red Bull,” Kosicke told Sky Deutschland.

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Also speaking on Friday, RB Leipzig coach Zsolt Low said he “could not imagine” Jurgen Klopp moving to Real Madrid, adding the German was “very happy in the job.”

Low praised Klopp’s impact, saying “he’s shown that he can bring a club together, a group of 40, 50, 60 people, and take them with him.

“He adds incredible value with his experience, his human quality and his energy.”

In a 23-year career as a top-flight manager with Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, Klopp left each club of his own accord, a rarity in coaching.

“No matter where he’s been, he’s given 100 percent,” Low said, adding “regardless of where he is he’s stayed and done the job. It’s important to him to make a clean exit.”

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is considered a leading candidate for the Real Madrid job. Alonso, a former Madrid player, said Friday it was “not the time” to discuss his future.

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Arsenal dumped out holders Real Madrid as a 2-1 win on Wednesday completed a 5-1 aggregate victory for Mikel Arteta’s side and set up a Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph last week gave them a vital cushion in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009.

Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead, and although Vinicius Junior levelled the 15-time winners were never close to making up the deficit.

Gabriel Martinelli rubbed salt in their wounds with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who are yet to lift the Champions League trophy.

“We knew we were going to suffer, but we knew we were going to win,” Declan Rice, who netted two stunning free-kicks in the first leg, told TNT Sports.

“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club… we want to win this competition.”

Los Blancos, far more brittle than when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were convinced they could turn the game around, but created too little against Arsenal’s tight defence.

The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semi-finals for only the third time in their history.

“We lost against a superior Arsenal, and we have to accept it,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar.

“We’ve had the happy part of football many times, and then there’s the sad part, which is today,” added coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Kylian Mbappe chested home in the opening stages but was clearly offside, with the forward gesturing to the crowd to turn up the volume to create the fabled aura which helps Madrid pull off near-impossible feats at the Santiago Bernabeu.

David Alaba was booked for hacking down Saka as Madrid tried to add the grit they badly lacked in their first leg demolition in London.

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Arsenal were awarded a penalty seemingly out of the blue when the VAR booth instructed French referee Francois Letexier to review an incident from an earlier corner.

Raul Asencio pulled back Arsenal forward Mikel Merino in the area, and Letexier pointed to the spot, to the bemusement of the home crowd.

Saka stepped up to take it, but his poorly executed Panenka, skewing off to the left, was saved by Courtois.

It spurred Real Madrid on, and soon they had a penalty of their own when Mbappe hit the turf after Rice tussled with him.

However, after a lengthy VAR review, Letexier was called to take a second look, and he then decided Rice had not fouled the French superstar.

The breaks in play, along with Arsenal’s dallying at every opportunity, disrupted Madrid’s momentum, and Raya did not need to make a save in the first half.

“We didn’t have the accuracy upfront,” said Courtois.

Martin Odegaard, facing his former employers whom he joined as a ‘wonderkid’ a decade ago, helped forge Arsenal’s opening goal after 65 minutes.

The Norwegian linked with Merino, who slipped Saka in behind, and the Englishman made amends for his penalty blunder with an ice-cool dinked finish.

Four goals ahead in the tie, Arsenal thought their work was done, with defender William Saliba not concentrating on the edge of his box in possession.

Vinicius stole the ball away from him and beat the out-of-position Raya to level, two minutes after Saka’s opener.

Madrid’s increasingly slim hopes were dashed when Mbappe limped off with an ankle problem with 15 minutes remaining, and Martinelli made sure with a cool finish after Merino set him up.

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Real Madrid produced a gritty display to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-2 win on penalties against rivals Atletico Madrid, following a 1-0 defeat after extra time on Wednesday.

Diego Simeone’s team dominated the record 15-time champions at the Metropolitano Stadium for much of the match.

However, Real Madrid has never been eliminated by Atletico in this competition. After Conor Gallagher scored in the first minute, Madrid fought hard to secure a 2-2 aggregate draw.

Thibaut Courtois made several saves to thwart Julian Alvarez, and Vinicius Junior blazed a penalty high and wide for Madrid.

In the shoot-out Alvarez scored for Atletico, but his effort was controversially ruled out for seeming to touch the ball twice because of a slip as he shot.

“The ball didn’t move,” complained Simeone. “I want to believe they saw he touched it (twice).”

Marcos Llorente also missed for Atletico, and Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger struck the winner for the reigning champions, who will face Arsenal in the last eight.

“I had to pick the coldest players possible (for penalties),” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“I think it’s a lottery still, a toss-up. Today it came in for us — Atletico go out with their heads held high because they played at a good level.”

Atletico played with caution in the first leg despite trailing, willing to take a single goal deficit back to the fiery Metropolitano stadium, where they believed they could really turn the heat up on their arch-rivals.

Real Madrid knocked Atletico out in the 2017 semi-finals in the final European game at the Vicente Calderon, with this being the first time the derby has been played at Atletico’s new home in the Champions League.

After defeats by Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 finals, the latter on penalties, and elimination on every other occasion the teams have met in the competition, Atletico were desperate to change the narrative but came up fractionally short.

“I think we played a great match, but unfortunately, we lacked a bit of luck,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told Movistar. “The truth is that one feels pain; it hurts a lot.”

Atletico came flying out of the blocks and took the lead after just 27 seconds through Gallagher, levelling the tie on aggregate.

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Rodrigo De Paul’s low ball in from the right was not cut out by Raul Asencio and former Chelsea midfielder Gallagher lunged in to beat Courtois from close range.

“We came out as if it was already won, and in the first move, they scored a goal against us, and that messed us up a lot,” Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Movistar.

Atletico were content to sit deep and soak up pressure as Real Madrid pushed the ball around in their territory but were also ready to spring forward on the counter.

Courtois saved on three occasions from Alvarez, who had scored a brilliant goal in the first leg.

With Atletico controlling the game, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti brought on Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vazquez in search of fresh energy.

Madrid soon produced their best attack of the game, with superstar trio Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe combining on a rapid counter.

Mbappe skipped away from Jose Gimenez and then was dragged down by the desperate Clement Lenglet for a penalty before he could shoot.

Vinicius stepped up, facing down a red wall of whistling Atletico fans behind the goal, and buckled under the pressure, firing high and wide.

Madrid shaded extra-time as both teams looked tired but pushed themselves to their limits with the match on a knife-edge.

Mbappe stepped up first from the spot and sent Oblak the wrong way, with Bellingham following suit after Alexander Sorloth netted for Atletico.

Alvarez slipped as he smashed home the hosts’ second penalty, and after a VAR review, it was ruled out as he had touched the ball twice as he struck it.

Oblak saved from Vazquez’s weak penalty to put Atletico back on track, but it was short-lived as Llorente crashed his penalty off the bar.

Oblak dived the right way for Rudiger’s decisive penalty, getting a hand to it, but he could not keep it out as Madrid marched into the last eight, after winning their sixth shoot-out against Atletico from six.

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was hit with a two-match La Liga ban on Wednesday by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee after he was sent off for dissent.

The England international was dismissed during the champions’ 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday by referee Jose Munuera Montero.

Bellingham, who insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee, will miss league matches against Girona and Real Betis on February 23 and March 2 respectively.

The disciplinary committee said Madrid’s attempts to show that Bellingham had not insulted the official were “insufficient” to remove “the presumption of veracity of the referee’s report”.

Jude Bellingham had said his dismissal was due to a misunderstanding.

“I think you can see clearly in the video, I remember the incident very well, it was an expression (I was saying) to myself,” said the 21-year-old.

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“I’m not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously there was a misunderstanding. He’s believed that I’ve said (something insulting) to him.”

A Real Madrid source told AFP the club will appeal the decision.

Referee Munuera Montero has faced online abuse and threats in the days since sending off Bellingham, which the federation described as “repulsive”.

Real Madrid have attacked Spanish refereeing in recent weeks, calling it “rigged” in a letter they sent to the federation and published on their website.

Los Blancos have not won in their last three league games and rivals Barcelona now lead the table on goal difference.

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Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid “are improving but are yet to show their best” as his side bid to earn automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16 against Ligue 1 club Brest on Wednesday.

The reigning champions of Europe are ensured of their place in at least the knockout play-off round as the league phase of the revamped Champions League wraps up with its final matchday this week.

However, after suffering three defeats in their opening seven matches, 16th-placed Real are only in with an outside chance of securing a top-eight finish and automatic progression to the last 16.

A faltering start to the defence of their Spanish and Champions League titles now seems to be behind Ancelotti’s charges after they have won nine of their last 10 outings in all competitions.

“I think the team are improving but are yet to show their best, even though we’re getting close,” Carlo Ancelotti said during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“The idea and the vision that we have for this team, I think it’s clear to everyone and the team have improved collectively, but also individually.

“That’s the case for Kylian Mbappe, but also for Rodrygo (Goes) or (Jude) Bellingham and all the other players. They’ve all worked very hard.

“Kylian is playing very well. I think he just needed a little time to improve athletically and adapt to his new environment… Now we’re taking full advantage of having Mbappe with us and the qualities he can bring to the team.”

Criticised for his performances at the start of the season following his long-awaited transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, France captain Mbappe has got among the goals as Madrid surged to the top of La Liga over the winter.

The 26-year-old has 21 goals in 31 matches for Real, eight of which have come in January.

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Los Blancos sit only one point outside of the top eight but seven teams are currently between them and eighth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

One of these sides are Wednesday’s opposition Brest, who have impressed on their European debut, with four wins from seven so far.

“Brest have done an excellent job in this Champions League,” said Carlo Ancelotti.

“They have a point more than us… It’s no coincidence that they took 13 points in the first phase.

“They are a very good team who know how to take advantage of the qualities of their players,” added the veteran Italian.

Brest are also assured of progression to the knock-outs, something their coach described as “difficult to imagine” when the Breton outfit got their campaign underway with a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz in neighbouring Guingamp as their own stadium is not up to UEFA requirements.

“If someone had told us… that Real Madrid would be behind us (now), we would have believed that even less,” added Brest coach Eric Roy during his press conference on Tuesday.

“We got off to a good start in the competition, while Real were perhaps in a period where they were a little less good.

“We saw them lose in Lille (1-0), we saw them lose at home to AC Milan (3-1).

“We managed to over-perform, they may have under-performed, and that’s certainly why today we have a point more than them.”

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Kylian Mbappe struck twice and produced a brilliant performance to power Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Las Palmas and take the reigning champions to the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Los Blancos enjoyed a perfect weekend, overtaking Atletico Madrid by two points after their neighbours slipped up with a shock defeat at Leganes on Saturday, while Barcelona, third, could only draw at Getafe.

Mbappe has hit top form in recent weeks after an inconsistent start to life at Real Madrid following his dream switch from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

The 26-year-old reached 12 league goals with his brace, becoming the Spanish league’s second top-scorer behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, with Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo Goes also on target.

“It was a very important game because we knew what had happened yesterday, with Atletico and Barca, we wanted to win and we did,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

“We started badly, letting in a goal (so early)… but the reaction was top.

“We got the ball forward, quickly, attacking the spaces and with quality, we scored a lot of goals… we’re happy because we’re leaders.”

Mbappe has 18 goals for the season in 30 appearances across all competitions, and is looking increasingly crucial for his side in attack.

With Vinicius Junior suspended, the spotlight was on the French forward at the Santiago Bernabeu and he delivered with a sparkling performance.

“I am very happy, I have adapted to the team and I can play how I want, with my team-mates, with personality,” continued Mbappe.

“I think that we are all enjoying it.”

Madrid were thrashed by Barcelona last week in the Spanish Super Cup final, leading to some whistles for the team when they played at home in midweek in the Copa del Rey.

Kylian Mbappe posted on the social media network Instagram to encourage the fans to stick together and support the team.

“I think we have to be united, and like that, we can go for all the trophies,” he explained.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was questioned over his positioning of Mbappe earlier in the season, using the striker through the middle instead of on the left, where Vinicius plays and Mbappe often did at PSG.

“He’s the best central striker in the world,” said Ancelotti.

“He’s a great forward, he’s very comfortable in the middle, more than on the wing, his ability to get away from players is unique and inside he can take better advantage of that.”

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Las Palmas took a surprise lead in just over 30 seconds when a rapid move sliced open Madrid’s defence.

Sandro Ramirez crossed for Fabio Silva to apply the finishing touch from close range.

Real Madrid hit back strongly, with Diaz shooting wide when he should have scored, and Mbappe’s fierce effort tipped away by Jasper Cillessen.

Kylian Mbappe, who suffered heavy criticism after missing two penalties towards the end of 2024, levelled from the spot after Sandro clumsily felled Rodrygo.

The striker was involved in Madrid’s second goal, with the rebound from his saved shot falling to Lucas Vazquez, who squared for Diaz to convert.

Mbappe netted his second with a fine finish which arced into the top corner after Rodrygo cut the ball back.

Mbappe thought he had completed his hat-trick before the break but the goal was ruled offside in the build-up.

Rodrygo stroked home the fourth from Fran Garcia’s low cross after Mbappe played the left-back in early in the second half.

Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde had strikes ruled out for offside as Madrid continued to dominate, and they were able to welcome David Alaba back as a substitute after more than a year out with a serious knee injury.

“(Alaba) is a player who can help us a lot, you don’t know how much it means for us to have him back on the pitch with us,” Madrid’s Dani Ceballos told DAZN.

Midfielder Ceballos had one of his best games for Madrid and was given an ovation by the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I have worked, waited for my moment, and now I have to keep working,” he added.

Athletic Bilbao, fourth in the La Liga points table, won 2-1 at Celta Vigo earlier Sunday to pull level on points with third-place Barcelona.

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Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has suffered a hamstring injury, said the Spanish club Monday, ruling him out of the upcoming Champions League match with Liverpool.

“After tests taken today our player Vinicius Junior has been diagnosed by Real Madrid’s medical services with a hamstring injury in his left leg,” the club said in a statement.

Spanish media reported the Brazilian winger is expected to miss almost a month, which would also keep him out of the Champions League visit to Atalanta on December 10, as well as Wednesday’s match at Anfield.

Vinicius played the full 90 minutes of Madrid’s 3-0 win at Leganes in La Liga on Sunday, setting up Kylian Mbappe for the opening goal.

“The crazy calendar… now to recover,” wrote the 24-year-old on social media platform X.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez railed against European and world football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA respectively on Sunday for their expanding match programmes.

The Champions League this season features eight group matches instead of six and an extra round which some teams will participate in if they finish outside the top eight.

Madrid have various players out injured for long periods, including Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao with severe knee injuries, which Perez blamed on increasing numbers of matches.

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“This season we could play 82 matches — there are 63 percent more matches organised by UEFA and FIFA, from 22 to 36,” complained Perez.

“There have already been nine cruciate ruptures this season (in La Liga), the same as in the whole of last season. Specialists point to fatigue as the cause.”

Vinicius has started the season in superb form, outshining summer arrival Mbappe thus far.

The forward, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting, has four Champions League goals in four appearances this season as well as eight La Liga strikes in 13 games.

Champions League holders Madrid have started their European campaign in shaky form, with two defeats in their opening four matches.

They lost 1-0 at Lille and 3-1 at home against AC Milan in their last outing in the competition, leaving them 18th in the expanded group table.

Liverpool, under new coach Arne Slot, lead both the Champions League table and the Premier League.

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Real Madrid said they will boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as they are convinced that their striker Vinicius Jr, the bookmakers’ favourite to win the men’s award, has been snubbed.

The club told AFP it questioned the methods behind the selection of the Ballon d’Or winner, saying that their defender Dani Carvajal, another of the 30 players nominated, had also been unfairly overlooked.

Carvajal scored the opening goal in the 2024 Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund and Brazilian Vinicius rounded off the 2-0 win at Wembley with the second goal.

The Ballon d’Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings.

“If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Real Madrid told AFP.

“As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

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The Ballon d’Or organisers decided to innovate this year by keeping the winner’s identity a secret until the very end, to avoid any leaks to the press and all the nominees were invited to Monday’s ceremony in the French capital.

In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the awards ceremony.

In response to Real Madrid’s boycott — which was announced as the nominees were gathering for the glitzy ceremony at a Paris theatre — the organisers insisted that “no player or club” knew in advance who has won the award.

“All the clubs and players are in the same boat,” a Ballon d’Or source told AFP.

The absence of the Real players and the club’s declaration suggest that neither Vinicius, Carvajal nor English midfielder Jude Bellingham, the architects of the club’s Champions League triumph, will win the trophy.

That could leave the way clear for Manchester City’s Spanish midfielder Rodri, who was voted Euro 2024’s player of the tournament after inspiring his country to victory in Germany in July.

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Real Madrid condemned racism from some of their supporters aimed at Barcelona players including teenager Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde during the club’s 4-0 El Clasico defeat on Saturday.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind of behaviour involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults that a few fans uttered last night in one of the corners of the stadium,” said Los Blancos in a statement Sunday.

Videos emerged on social media after the game of racial abuse aimed at Barcelona players.

The Spanish champions said they had “opened an investigation in order to locate and identify the perpetrators of these deplorable and despicable insults”.

Spanish football is struggling to combat racism in stadiums across the country.

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Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior has become a figurehead in the fight against racism and has been targeted on numerous occasions since arriving in Spain in 2018.

The Brazilian winger earned worldwide support in May 2023 when he squared off with Valencia supporters after suffering abuse at their Mestalla stadium.

In January 2023, an effigy in a Vinicius shirt was found hanging from a bridge near the club’s training ground alongside a banner saying: “Madrid hates Real”.

In December, four Atletico Madrid fans were charged over the incident, with prosecutors pushing for jail terms of four years.

This week Spanish police arrested four men suspected of inciting an online hate campaign against Vinicius.

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