LALIGA
What did Real Madrid winger Vinícius say about referee Javier Iglesias Villanueva and his Girona yellow card?
The Brazilian winger was booked for his protests following a clash with Girona defender Santiago Bueno in Madrid’s defeat at Montilivi.
Not for the first time this season, Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior was not happy with the referee on Tuesday, this time Javier Iglesias Villanueva in his team’s 4-2 defeat at the hands of Girona, a game in which on-loan New York City FC forward Taty Castellanos incredibly scored four times for the Catalans. The Brazilian appeared to be upset with the performance of the match official on the field and confirmed it on social media after the game was over.
However, it was not only Iglesias Villanueva who was at the centre of his ire, as he pointed an accusing finger at the standard of refereeing throughout LaLiga. The winger jumped on the back of a tweet from Brazilian media outlet Mundo da Bola commenting on the yellow card he was shown at Montilivi.
What happened between Girona’s Bueno and Vinícius?
The incident in question took place in the 33rd minute of the clash, with the score at 2-1 to the Catalans. Girona’s Santiago Bueno and Vinícius tussled for possession, with the defender lashing the ball against the Madrid attacker after he had been nudged to the ground. The ball hadn’t gone out of play but the Brazilian complained about a perceived act of aggression towards him to referee Iglesias Villanueva, who ended up showing him a yellow card for his protests.
Rough treatment and lack of protection
“Vinícius Jr was lying on the ground and the Girona player smashed the ball off him. Vini complained about it and was shown a card. His opponent, nothing”, tweeted Mundo do Bola. The winger somewhat mischievously quote tweeted that message, simply adding “LaLiga” between ‘smiling face with tears’ emojis.
It’s far from the first time that Vinícius has been upset with the rough treatment he has received from rival players, in addition to the lack of protection he feels he gets from Spanish match officials. And he’s not about to let it go.