Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has launched a fresh attack on the Spanish Football Federation’s refereeing system, objecting this time to the timing of the announcement of Vinícius Junior’s four-match La Liga suspension.
The Portuguese coach did not challenge the penalty itself so much as he focused on the publication of the decision just two hours before their Champions League clash against Roma—a match in which Vinícius featured as normal since the ban is restricted to domestic competitions.
Speaking to Movistar ahead of kickoff, Mourinho said: “Ask the Spanish Referees Committee why they released the news of Vinícius’s sanction just minutes before he plays an important Champions League match.”
The Real Madrid manager added: “If the committee announced the ban at this time, it is because they believe the news could affect him. Why didn’t they wait until tomorrow morning? Real Madrid is a Spanish club, so why release the decision now?”
The Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend Vinícius for two matches for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during the Villarreal game, classifying the incident as violent conduct taking place away from a challenge for the ball. They added a further two matches for his protestations against referee Isidro Díaz de Mera “loudly and in an aggressive manner,” according to the match report.
As a result, the Brazilian will miss fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia, ruling him out of El Clásico scheduled for October 25 at Camp Nou. He is set to return to La Liga action against Celta Vigo on November 21, provided Real Madrid’s appeal fails to reduce the sentence.
Mourinho’s attack comes as a continuation of his fury over the officiating in the Villarreal match, having skipped the post-match press conference to avoid making statements that could earn him a touchline ban for El Clásico. This time, however, he broke his silence, deeming the timing of the announcement regarding Vinícius’s punishment to be far from innocent.
