On Tuesday evening, the Competition Committee of the RFEF communicated that Vinicius Junior would not face punishment for his red card on Sunday against Valencia. It has been met with outrage from many parts of Spain.
Vinicius was sent off after a VAR review on Sunday, for making contact with Hugo Duro’s face as he tried to move the Valencia striker away. Not shown to the referee were the images previously of Duro with Vinicius in a headlock around the neck previous to that incident.
In their statement, the RFEF signalled that:
“The fact that a determining part of the incidents was omitted led him [Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea] to adopt an arbitrary decision. And it is because of this, it was impossible for him to adequately assess what happened,” referencing the lack of video of Duro.
The logical thing for many, was to see Duro punished too, rather than evening it up with impunity. As Relevo note though, the Competition Committee explained that it was not their place to do so.
“We must remember that this Committee is limited to reviewing in this resolution the specific sanction imposed by the official reflected in the minutes, it is not up to this committee to assess or sanction the actions produced, neither by the player mentioned nor by the other parties involved in the incident, because although this Committee undoubtedly considers them reprehensible, it understands that it cannot proceed to re-arbitrate and adopt the sanctions that should have been imposed, if any.”
While that explanation is unsatisfactory for many, it explains on a bureaucratic level the reasons for the decision as it played out. Some would also proffer that it is exactly what they did in that moment, given Vinicius’ aggression was for many a red card.
Unfortunately, it has distracted from the main debate that should be taking place. It has shifted the narrative to the serious racism problem that has been unfolding in recent months to club rivalries and bias.