La Liga has officially confirmed it is investigating a series of “threatening and hateful” chants directed at Vinicius Jr. during Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Osasuna at El Sadar on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Despite the hostile environment, the 25-year-old Brazilian scored Madrid’s only goal, though it wasn’t enough to prevent a loss that leaves their title lead vulnerable.
The “El Sadar” Incident
The atmosphere in Pamplona turned toxic as large sections of the home crowd targeted Vinicius throughout the match.
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The Chants: Reports and video footage captured fans chanting “Vinicius, muérete” (“Vinicius, die”).
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The Response: Vinicius responded on the pitch in the 73rd minute, pointing to his name on his jersey after scoring, a gesture he later reinforced on social media with the message: “I’m here.”
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Official Action: La Liga issued a statement on Sunday confirming they would report the chants to the Anti-Violence Commission, citing “intolerable hate speech.”
A Week of Abuse
This incident caps off a traumatic week for the winger, who has been at the center of a major international controversy involving Benfica.
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The Benfica Incident: On February 17, during a Champions League clash, Vinicius alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.
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UEFA Investigation: UEFA has already appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate that case, which led to a 10-minute match delay after Vinicius initially refused to continue playing.
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Mourinho Controversy: Benfica manager José Mourinho faced heavy criticism and accusations of “gaslighting” after he appeared to downplay the incident in his post-match comments.
Madrid’s Defensive Stance
Under manager Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid has taken an increasingly firm public stance in defense of their star player.
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Legal Action: The club filed a formal complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office regarding the hate crimes in Pamplona.
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Team Solidarity: Captain Federico Valverde and teammate Kylian Mbappé have both publicly called for harsher stadium bans for fans involved in such behavior.