The Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has been making headlines since last Saturday. After a highly frustrating match against Rayo Vallecano, the Brazilian stood out for a provocative gesture towards the Vallecas supporters. A gesture that has not pleased Mateu Lahoz, the former Spanish referee, who shared his thoughts on the matter.
Vinicius Junior has been heavily criticised in Spain over the past few hours. Substituted into the match on Saturday during the 17th round of La Liga against Rayo Vallecano, the 24-year-old star expressed his frustration with the referee of the game, who had a disastrous performance marked by controversial decisions. Sanctioned and suspended for the next league match against Sevilla FC, Vini left the Vallecas pitch while taunting the home crowd. With two fingers, he signalled that Rayo Vallecano would be relegated to the second division at the end of the season.
Mateu Lahoz condemns Vinicius’ gesture
Although this gesture was a response to the whistles from the fans, Vinicius Junior has not been spared by prominent figures in Spanish football. After the president of Rayo Vallecano expressed his outrage at Carlo Ancelotti’s player, Mateu Lahoz, a former experienced referee who retired in June 2023, did not mince his words. Speaking on Movistar, where he comments on refereeing decisions and Spanish sports news, the former international referee criticised Vini’s latest controversial act.
“The issue of Vinicius needs to be addressed. This is not good for the sport,” Lahoz said, before also criticising the referee of the Rayo-Real Madrid match for his lack of fairness. “Lejeune (a Vallecano defender who pulled Vinicius’ shirt just after he came on) committed a tactical foul for which the advantage rule did not apply. He should have been reprimanded before Vinicius reacted the way he did upon realising no action was taken,” added the former referee.
“If he didn’t play for Real Madrid, he wouldn’t finish a match”
Vinicius’ behaviour has sparked widespread debate in Spain. According to journalist José María García, the attitude of Vinicius is not worthy of a great player. “It’s quite unbelievable, and a club as big as Real Madrid should have addressed this issue already. It’s a lack of foresight. Not everyone is the same; the family environment plays a big role. For instance, we have a boy like Rodrygo, who is a good footballer, polite, composed, and doesn’t lose his temper,” the Spanish journalist said before elaborating further.
“It’s bad for him, and every day, he’s harming himself. If he didn’t play for Real Madrid, he wouldn’t finish a football match. Against Rayo, he should have been sent off, but for some reason, no one puts an end to this outrage. There’s no doubt about his ability or his quality; he has those, without question. But behaviour is crucial, and he has only one enemy: himself. And only one accomplice in this bad behaviour: the president,” José María García concluded.
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