Three soccer fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. during a game ... with each getting the punishment for their role in a May 2023 incident.
It all stems from chants hurled toward the Brazilian forward during Real Madrid's match against Valencia at Mestalla Stadium ... which prompted Vini Jr. to call out one of the spectators in the crowd, resulting in a 10-minute delay as officials addressed the issue.
The racist remarks led the club to file a hate-crime complaint ... and three fans were later arrested for their actions.
Back in October, Vini Jr. testified against the fans ... detailing the racial abuse and the impact it had on him.
The trio of spectators were found guilty of a crime against moral integrity -- aggravated by racially motivated discrimination -- on Monday ... and were initially sentenced to 12 months in the slammer and a 3-year ban from stadiums, according to ESPN.
Their sentences were reduced after accepting criminal responsibility ... and their stadium ban was shortened to 2 years.
A request was made to have their sentences suspended.
LaLiga prez Javier Tebas addressed the development in a statement ... saying, "This ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain."
"It redresses the wrong suffered by Vinicius Junior and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them."
Vini Jr.'s club also reacted to the news ... saying the three fans wrote apology letters to the striker, the team and others affected by their actions.
Vini Jr. has been targeted with racism throughout his career -- as we previously reported, opposing fans even hanged a mannequin wearing his jersey from a bridge in Jan. 2023.
He called out officials for allowing racism to continue ... but this ruling -- the first of its kind -- is a step forward in bringing change to the sport.