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Valencia have been sanctioned with a partial stadium closure for five matches and fined $48,530 following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. Spanish police have also detained three people in connection with the abuse directed at the Brazilian at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday. Vinícius Júnior’s late red card has been rescinded, meaning he will not have to serve a suspension. Valencia called the decision to partially close their stadium "disproportionate, unjust and unprecedented" and said they intend to appeal against that part of the sanction. A statement from the club read: "Valencia have collaborated from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred. In addition, we have applied the maximum possible sanction with the ban for life from our stadium for racist behaviour of the fans identified by police." Moha Gerehou is a journalist and author of ‘What's a Black Man Like You Doing in a Place Like This’. He told Newsday that the action taken does not go far enough: “There are no changes in the competition…no changes that can avoid this happening in the future…The football clubs should take care of what happens in the stadiums.” (Picture: Shows Vinícius Júnior leaving the pitch after he is shown a red card during the LaLiga Santander match between Valencia CF and Real Madrid CF at Estadio Mestalla on May 21, 2023 in Valencia, Spain. Credit: Aitor Alcalde Colomer / Getty Images.)