Real Madrid’s victory in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against Deportivo Minera (0-5) was ultimately quite secondary at the press conference on Monday evening. A large part of the press briefing was devoted to… Vínicius. The 24-year-old Brazilian may not have been a starter and only came on in the 63rd minute, but he was still the talk of the town. His expulsion is still on everyone’s lips in Spain. The poster between Real Madrid and Valencia, as part of the late 19th day of La Liga following the tragedies in the region which left 231 dead, was marked by a new refereeing controversy involving Vinícius Júnior, expelled ten minutes of the term for an ugly gesture on the Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski (79th). Guilty of a shove on the Valencian goalkeeper, Vínicius finally received a red card before pulling the pin. Restrained by several teammates and members of Carlo Ancelotti’s staff, the Auriverde international literally lost his temper, letting his rage burst forth. Images that shocked the other side of the Pyrenees last weekend.
“In the 79th minute, Vínicius was sent off for the following reason: having deliberately hit an opponent in the head, without the ball being in play, using significant force. Once sent off, the player had to be restrained by members of his club and taken to the locker room while he continued to protest.wrote the referee of the match, Mr. César Soto Grado in the minutes after the match. But what does Vínicius actually risk? According to article 103 of the regulations, the Real Madrid striker would have been the author of an “aggression” and would be under threat of a much heavier sanction due to the use of VAR which could reach a minimum of four matches: “The act of attacking another person, without causing injury, with the circumstance that the action takes place while the game is stopped or at such a distance from the place where it takes place that it is impossible to “intervening on a set piece will be punished by a suspension of four to twelve matches, which will be considered as a determining factor of the intentional element necessary for this offense”. Despite this relentless media coverage, Vínicius can still count on strong support from his club.
Ancelotti proclaims his player’s innocence
After the Copa del Rey match against Minera, Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the Vínicius case: “We think they are not going to sanction him. Does Vínicius need affection? No, I think he doesn’t need affection because he can do more. He gave us the opportunity to win two Champions Leagues. He is one of the best players in the world. Does he need more honey? No, I think he has the love of Real Madrid fans and that’s why he plays very well», insisted the Italian tactician. If the suspension were to be confirmed, Vínicius could notably miss the Spanish Super Cup, scheduled for this Thursday against Mallorca in Saudi Arabia. As a reminder, the VAR truck called out to the match referee: “Caesar, I’m going to recommend that you use video to assess possible violent conduct, as I told you before. You have the impact there, first at 50% then at normal speed”, before responding to his colleagues “Ok, I’ll give him a red card. The ball is still, isn’t it? For hitting the goalkeeper in the face with his arms. Number 7, red card» following the broadcast of the images.
This is not the first time that Carlo Ancelotti has come to the aid of his Brazilian star. A few days earlier, the Italian coach had already defended the Seleção international following this expulsion against Valencia and his anger, while the former Flamengo player was once again the victim of racist cries in Valencia in the stadium from Mestalla: “I think it’s difficult to be Vínicius, I’m not in his shoes, but I think it must be difficult. It’s hard to put yourself in his place and put up with everything that happens, the insults. It’s not easy, but he’s trying to improve. He is sad about the red card and apologized. We are still convinced that it was not a red card but a yellow, so we hope he will not be suspended“, he declared. In the event that the action is classified as “violent conduct” (article 121), the suspension would be lighter, limited to two or three meetings. This Tuesday, the disciplinary committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is expected to meet and decide whether or not to suspend Vínicius.
