The red card awarded to Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior during a game against Valencia was overturned on Tuesday, May 23, allowing him to return to play.
Vinicius was awarded his first professional red card for slapping Valencia star, Hugo Duro after he faced off with fans of the club at the end of the Mestalla stadium and pointed out one who had been racially abusing him.
After receiving criticism for the way it handled the incident, the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) has finally responded by taking action.
Recall how La Liga President Javier Tebas sparked a global uproar by saying Vinicius hasn’t done enough to tackle racism.
Shortly after handing out a €45,000 (£39,000/$48,000) fine against Valencia over the racial abuse and ordering a partial closure of the club’s stadium, the RFEF rescinded the Real Madrid star’s red card.
After analyzing the video footage, the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation accepted Real Madrid’s complaint about Vinicius’ dismissal for slapping Hugo Duro of Valencia on Sunday.
The initial footage omitted Duro grabbing Vinicius around the neck with his arm moment before the 22-year-old Brazilian slapped him.
Duro who is a Spaniard received no punishment as the on-field referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea was not shown the events which led to the Brazil international’s reaction.
Vinicius was set to receive a ban that would see him miss the rest of the season but he will now be available for selection again after the decision was overturned. The VAR official on the day of the incident, Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva, has also been stood down for the time being.
The RFEF has also started a campaign tagged “Racists, out of football” with the goal of eradicating racist and xenophobic attitudes from the sport by making spectators aware that offensive remarks or behaviors would not be accepted.
