The VAR controversy continues to rumble on. After Real Madrid became the first side in La Liga to have three decisions overturned by VAR in their favour, facilitating a 3-2 win over Almeria in extremis, the debate over the refereeing has dominated the headlines.
The audio was released of the interactions between the video assistant referee and the referee, where it was shown that they did not follow protocol during the decision-making process. Almeria have not been afraid to show their fury, while Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said that there were things that ‘didn’t fit’ regarding the refereeing in La Liga.
Another incident has now found traction amongst frustrated fans of Almeria and Real Madrid’s rivals, where Vinicius Junior appears to elbow Alejandro Pozo in the face. The incident was not noticed by the referee, nor was it reviewed by VAR. From the footage it is impossible to tell how much contact he makes with Pozo, but it is certainly strange that it was not at least reviewed.
Agresión de Vinicius a Pozo que ni revisó el VAR. Los árbitros tienen MIEDO a sancionar al premio Sócrates.
— 🅿 (@finallyxpablo) January 21, 2024
Vinicius is not out of the woods yet though. MD say that if Almeria submit a formal complaint to the RFEF, then the Brazilian could face a lengthy ban. If player is found to have ‘struck’ an opponent, without injuring them, without the ball within playing distance, then the player in question can be sanctioned with a ban of between 4 and 12 games.
Jude Bellingham will miss #RealMadrid's trip to Las Palmas after picking up his 5th booking against Almeria. pic.twitter.com/0YYjeFBJIG
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 22, 2024
It seems highly unlikely that the Competition Committee will accept a complaint and suspend Vinicius. Elbows occur frequently during games, and rarely are they subject to further punishment, rightly or wrongly.
Real Madrid will be missing Jude Bellingham for their next league match though, as they travel to Las Palmas. The Englishman picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Almeria, earning him a suspension. It means that Los Blancos will go up against the second-best defence in La Liga, after only themselves, without one of their key offensive weapons. Brahim Diaz is likely to reprise his role, and did so well during the first clash between the two at the Santiago Bernabeu.
