Vinicius Jr unleashed a new blow after the red card that saw Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1‑0. The Brazilian striker published a series of photos on Instagram accompanied by a text in which he denounced "what a mafia, what a shame" and accused the referee of having always "given the cards to me".
The match, played at Camp Nou, was decided by Vinicius' goal in the 27th minute, but the match was ruined by Villarreal's second goal, which made it 2‑0. Referee OrtizArias then issued a red card to the player, who was sent off for an act of violent conduct. Spanish football underwent an in-depth analysis: the referee's report reported that, after the expulsion, Vinicius continued to protest, shouting and heading towards the area where the referee was with an aggressive attitude, forcing his teammates to hold him back.
In the Instagram post, Vinicius showed images of alleged "borderline contact" he had suffered in the past, suggesting the decision was part of a "mob" against him. The player also accused the club of not having adequately defended his position, underlining that the card was "remedied" and that his expulsion was "sunny and clear for everyone".
This expulsion puts at risk Vinicius' participation in the next Clasico, which will be held after the match against Sevilla and the subsequent Champions League matches against Roma and Leipzig. Real Madrid will then have to decide whether to include him in the squad for the La Liga final, while his absence could influence the outcome of the derby.
The Spanish club has already started an internal discussion on the case, while the Spanish federation has said it is examining the circumstances of the card. For now, Vinicius remains on hold for the Clasico, and whether or not he will be there will be decided by next week.