Vinicius Jr.: Real Madrid files a complaint when referee leaves out claims of racist abuse in the report

Real Madrid has lodged a formal complaint against the referee who officiated Saturday’s match against Osasuna. The complaint is regarding the referee’s omission of alleged racist abuse directed towards forward Vinicius Jr in his match report.

The club claims that Juan Martinez Munuera intentionally omitted the “insults and vexatious shouts” during the incident.

Vinicius has been subjected to racist abuse on several occasions while in Spain over the past three years.

Real have called for immediate action to address and eliminate the abuse.

The technical committee of referees from the Spanish Football Federation has been reached out to for a statement.

Real stated that the referee chose to ignore the insults and disruptive shouts aimed at their player, Vinicius Jr. This was despite their players repeatedly drawing attention to these incidents in real time.

“Real Madrid strongly denounces the ongoing incidents of racism, discrimination, and hatred, and urges for immediate action to eliminate the violence that our player Vinicius Junior has been subjected to.”

In a thrilling 4-2 victory, the 23-year-old showcased his skills by scoring two goals, helping Real Madrid extend their lead at the top of La Liga to a comfortable 10 points.

Furthermore, the incident has been included in a complaint that Los Blancos had previously lodged with Spanish legal authorities. The complaint pertains to the alleged racist insults directed at Vinicius by fans of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

A video circulating on social media seems to capture Atletico Madrid fans engaging in offensive chants prior to their Champions League match with Inter Milan on Wednesday. In a similar vein, Real Madrid claims that Barcelona fans also resorted to similar chants before their game against Napoli the day before.

The Brazil international has unfortunately faced several incidents of racist abuse in recent seasons.

In September 2022, Real’s victory over Atletico in the derby was marred by the “unacceptable” chants directed at Vinicius by a “minority” of fans outside the stadium before the match.

In January 2023, an incident occurred near Real’s training ground involving an effigy of Vinicius. As a result, four individuals were fined 60,001 euros (£51,700) and received a two-year stadium ban last June.

On the same day, three other individuals were penalized with a fine of 5,000 euros (£4,300) and faced a one-year ban for engaging in racist gestures during Real’s match at Valencia last May.

Throughout this season, there have been disturbing incidents of racist abuse directed towards Vinicius during Real Madrid’s matches against Sevilla in October, Barcelona the following week, and Valencia earlier this month.