La Liga are investigating after a video surfaced on social media of a child allegedly calling Vinicius Junior a monkey during Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Valencia on Saturday.
What Happened With Vinicius Jr
According to The Athletic, there’s a report that a child fan was supposedly directing abuse at the Real Madrid forward. The woman who recorded the incident mentioned that police were called during the match. It’s concerning that La Liga has had to report incidents of alleged racism to the local authorities before.
Vinicius bagged a brace, as Madrid came from behind to draw 2-2. The match ended in a controversial way as a late goal from the Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was disallowed.
How It Started
In May 2023, Vinicius Jr suffered racial abuse from hundreds of fans, and the match was first at the Mestalla since that incident.
The game before and the racial abuse at Mestalla grabbed worldwide attention. Valencia banned three fans involved and initially received a stadium ban. Valencia and La Liga worked together to prevent trouble by implementing security measures and communication strategies. In November, Valencia fans were reminded to rise above provocation during their trip to the Bernabeu. Although no racist incidents were reported, Valencia fans whistled and taunted Vinicius Jr. The 23-year-old has since faced several racist abuse in Spain.
Controversial Game
Jude Bellingham was shown a red card after Los Blancos was denied a late win. Brahim Daiz put a cross in the box while referee Gil Manzano sounded the final whistle for full-time. This voided the header that led to the goal of Bellingham.
This sparked furious reactions from the players including Jude Bellingham. The England international was shown a red card after he protested saying “It is a f****** goal” to the official in his native English language. Real boss Ancelotti defended Bellingham after his first dismissal from the Spanish giants, believing it was an ‘unprecedented’ situation that unfolded with the winner being ruled out.
A few days after the match, the referee who was in charge of the match was suspended. This decision was communicated to him by the Technical Committee Of Referees following his wrong verdict.
Manzano also acknowledged his mistakes and has taken responsibility for his mediocre management of the game.
Conclusion
Although this decision is less likely to change for Real Madrid, they could win an appeal against Bellingham’s red card. Ancelotti’s men still maintain the top spot of the Liga table as Barcelona and Girona failed to secure a win.
Jude Bellingham will be in action during the Champions League meeting with Leipzig as they hope to seal their spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
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