The litigation between Valence and Vinicius Jr. resurfaces. Since the incident at the Mestalla stadium in May 2023, relations have remained tense between the Real Madrid striker and the Valencia club. At the time, Vinicius Junior had denounced racist insults from the stands, causing a shock wave in the world of football. Two years later, the discomfort persisted. The release of the documentary “Baila, Vini” on Netflix rekindled injuries. At the heart of the film, a particularly sensitive episode: that of this May evening, exhibited as a turning point in the Brazilian fight against racism.
And it is precisely this story that Valence disputes today virulence. In an official press release published on May 16, the Ché club demanded an immediate rectification from the production company behind the documentary. Valence denounces “falsedades”-untruths-and a vision of “unfair” facts towards its supporters. The club says it is deeply offended by the representation of its base of fans as a homogeneous and racist mass, while it recalls having identified and sanctioned several individuals responsible for the gestures incriminated in 2023. A nuance which, according to him, is completely absent from the story disseminated on a large scale.
The Mestalla relaunched affair: Valence wants to bend Vinicius
Valence had already distanced himself from the project. In February 2024, the club's management had prohibited Netflix access to the Mestalla stadium during a match against Real Madrid, in protest against the editorial line deemed biased from the documentary. She also refused that player Hugo Duro, involved in the altercation with Vinicius, participates in any interview. This media boycott foreshadowed the current posture: a firm desire not to let their image be modeled without the right of response.
Valence accuses Vinicius Jr. of Lies
Legal measures are now envisaged. The Mediterranean coast club is currently studying the follow -up to a legal level. He could initiate a procedure against Brazilian production and Netflix for image damage. The case goes beyond the simple sports framework: it affects narrative responsibility in a subject as serious as racism. Valence recognizes the existence of slippages in 2023, but refuses to take on collective responsibility.
Beyond the immediate controversy, this case reactivates a sensitive question: that of the fight against racism in the Spanish stages. If Vinicius Jr. has rightly become a symbolic figure of this battle, the controversy around “Baila, Vini” reveals the persistent tensions between individual truth and collective perception. By trying to restore its version of the facts, Valence plays big. And Spanish football continues to struggle with its demons.
