RED CARD
The Brazilian had a disagreement and hit the Valencia goalkeeper in the face
Published on January 4, 2025 at 4:22 pm
Vini in the game against Valencia Credit: Reproduction IX
An attack on Valencia’s goalkeeper in the dispute for La Liga 24/25 could leave Vinicius Junior off the field for up to 12 games due to punishment. If the fight with Dimitrievski is considered serious aggression, the likely four games could turn into 12 games without the Brazilian.
The Disciplinary Code of the Royal Spanish Football Federation determines an immediate sanction of four games, with analysis in a further eight games. This would take Vinicius out of the Copa del Rey duels against Deportiva Minera and the Spanish Super Cup against Mallorca, in the semi-final. Furthermore, he may miss national cup games.
The infraction committed by the Brazilian is reported in referee César Soto Grado’s summary as “in the 79th minute, the player Vinicius was sent off for the following reason: for deliberately hitting an opponent in the head, without the ball being in dispute, using force not insignificant. Sent off, said player had to be restrained by members of his club and taken to the dressing room while his protests continued.”
What happened
In the 32nd minute of the second half, Real Madrid were losing 1-0, and Vini Jr fought with the opposing goalkeeper inside the Valencia area. VAR Muñiz Ruiz warned the referee, and he gave a yellow card to the goalkeeper, already suspended for a previous yellow card, and a red card to Vini.
In the situation, the goalkeeper complained to Vini about an alleged falsified penalty. He then touched the attacker’s back and hair. Vini responded by pushing the goalkeeper and hitting him in the face.
Even with the expulsion, Real Madrid recovered, scored two goals and turned the game around in stoppage time, taking the lead in the La Liga table with 43 points. In the post-game press conference, Merengue coach Carlo Ancelotti defended the Brazilian.
After the game, Vini went to social media to ask the fans for forgiveness and thank the team.
Tensions between the Valencia team and Vini have been heated since the beginning of the duel between them, when Vini began to receive taunts and racist chants from the opposing fans. The peak was in 2023, when a game was stopped by the referee due to incidents of racism against Vini.
