Barcelona coach Xavi disagrees with canceling red card for Vinicius Junior

Barcelona head coach Xavi did not agree with the decision of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to cancel the removal of Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior in the match of the 35th round of La Liga with Valencia (0:1).

At the end of the match, Madrid striker Vinicius Junior received a direct red card for hitting Valencia striker Hugo Duro in the face. Prior to this episode, the latter had squeezed Vinicius’s throat from behind. Chief referee Ricardo Bengoechea, having studied the video replay, showed the Brazilian a red card, while Duro remained on the field.

The VAR referee at the match was later fired for showing the head referee a cropped video that did not include Duro’s actions.

Yes, acts of racism and insults should be punished. However, in the case of the removal from Junior, there was a specific action that took place on the football field, – Xavi COPE quotes the words.

During the match, Vinicius was subjected to racist insults from fans in the stands of the Mestalla stadium. The meeting was suspended after the Brazilian urged the referee to pay attention to the behavior of the fans.