The spectacular draw between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano ended in a major controversy. A blatant foul on Vinicius Jr in the box was neither penalised by the referee nor corrected by VAR. A former Spanish referee has now ruled.
Real Madrid fans held their breath when Vinicius jr was brought down by Abdul Mumin in the second half of Saturday night’s 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano. Madrid fans were expecting an obvious penalty, but referee Martínez Munuera decided otherwise. To everyone’s amazement, no VAR call was made, despite the images clearly showing a foul.
The incident frustrated Real Madrid players and fans alike, who were quick to express their displeasure. On social networks, the club’s official accounts denounced the error. Even RMTV devoted a large part of its debriefing to criticising the referees’ handling of the match.
¿Te refieres por la parada de Bellingham a Vinicius?
— Som I Serem FCB (@Somhiseremfcb) December 14, 2024
O es que no ves que el que golpea es el inglés. pic.twitter.com/H4sY3u79mq
Former FIFA referee lashes out at Martínez Munuera and var
Former Spanish referee Estrada Fernandez, now a consultant, did not mince his words on social networks. On his X account (formerly Twitter), he posted a scathing comment. ‘The referee and the Var team that night were drunk. In his opinion, the foul on Vinicius should have earned Real Madrid a penalty, not to mention several other situations misjudged by the director of play.
El VAR con la #sidrina @realmadrid @RayoVallecano #cta #var #residual
— Xavi Estrada Fernàndez (@XavierEstradaF1) December 14, 2024
This sarcastic jibe exposes a lack of attention on the part of the officials in charge of the video, who should have pointed out Martínez Munuera’s obvious error. This is not the first time Real Madrid have felt aggrieved by refereeing in La Liga. This time, however, the club is planning to go one step further. According to sources close to the Madrid management, Real Madrid are considering taking legal action against the referees’ association. The aim would be to obtain explanations for the way VAR works and, potentially, to expose systemic malfunctions.
In the meantime, frustration is growing. For Vinicius, this episode is just another example of the obstacles he has to overcome. Already the victim of sometimes rough treatment from his opponents, he now has to deal with a refereeing system that, in his opinion, does not do enough to protect creative players.
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