According to reports, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and The Technical Committee of Referees have dismissed six VAR referees in response to the alleged racist abuse suffered by Vinicius Jr.
During Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday, Vinicius found himself at the center of controversy for all the wrong reasons.
The Brazilian winger became involved in a heated confrontation with Valencia supporters, who allegedly directed racial abuse at him from the stands.
Following the incident, Vinicius was shown a red card for slapping Hugo Duro after being manhandled by the Valencia player.
The home fans responded with ironic jeers. In response to these events, Vinicius took to social media to condemn the actions of the supporters and criticized the lack of action from La Liga.
In light of the situation, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and The Technical Committee of Referees have taken action by firing six La Liga officials, including Iglesias Villanueva, who was in charge of VAR during Real Madrid’s match against Valencia, as reported by Marca.
The decision to dismiss the officials was explained in the report, which stated that the images provided to the on-field referee, De Burgos Bengoechea, leading to Vinicius’ red card were incomplete.
The report stated, “They cannot find the reason why the footage only showed the Brazilian’s blow to Hugo Duro’s face and not the entire sequence of events.”
Real Madrid also released a statement addressing the events of Sunday’s match. The statement strongly condemned the incidents involving Vinicius and described them as a direct attack on the social and democratic model of coexistence in the State, which is based on the rule of law.
Real Madrid further characterized these actions as a hate crime and reported the matter to the Attorney General’s Office, specifically to the Prosecutor’s Office against crimes of hatred and discrimination.
The club seeks a thorough investigation into the facts and the accountability of those responsible.