Real Madrid secured a spectacular victory in their Champions League match away at AS Roma thanks to three goals in the closing stages. Afterwards, the Royals once again voiced their displeasure with La Liga.
On Wednesday evening, just a few hours before kick-off in Rome, the Spanish Football Federation announced the suspension of Vinicius Junior, who had been shown a red card in the previous league match against Villarreal (1–0). The Brazilian will therefore miss four matches, including the Clásico against FC Barcelona. The timing of the announcement particularly annoyed the Royal Blues.
“May I ask you a question?” José Mourinho retorted to a reporter at the press conference following the successful comeback at the Olimpico. “Is it normal for a player to find out two hours before the match that he’s been suspended for four matches? You don’t have to answer me. Is that normal? Couldn’t they have announced it just now or first thing tomorrow morning? Did they really have to do it just as we were on our way to the stadium?”, the Portuguese manager asked defiantly.
Mourinho had absolutely no understanding of the decision on any level, a point he illustrated with a proverb: “In Portuguese, we say: ‘A cat in hiding with its tail sticking out’ – meaning someone who wants to cover up wrongdoing but cannot hide an obvious clue. ‘It seems to me that the cat isn’t hiding any more. The cat does what it wants; people are acting quite brazenly,’ said the Real Madrid manager.
Vinicius Junior: “In the end, I’m always the one who gets the card”
Vinicius Junior also broke his silence afterwards and shared his thoughts on the severity of the punishment. He had clearly not expected that pulling an opponent’s hair would be penalised so harshly: “To be honest, the rule is new; it was never explained to us. Someone from the league or some other part of the refereeing body that I’m not familiar with always comes along to explain the new rule to us, but we weren’t told anything specifically about this.”
In general, he said he had “never behaved violently towards another player” and had always “kept a cool head”, even though he is “often fouled”. “And in the end, I always get the card,” concluded Vinicius Junior, who had lost possession in a costly moment in Rome just before the score became 1–2 and had been substituted for Endrick after just under an hour.
“Of course, I was angry after being substituted because I always want to be in top form and help the team,” explained the forward, who nevertheless acknowledged that the substitutes – the two goalscorers Endrick and Carlos Espi – had impressed. “I’m angry with myself because I’m not in top form. But ultimately, Vini always comes back, and I have no doubt that I’ll be back too,” said Vinicius Junior resolutely.
Fixture frustration at Real
Thanks to this comeback victory, Real remain unbeaten after two matchdays in the Champions League, which naturally pleases Mourinho as well. The successful comeback should provide a new boost of confidence for the rest of October, during which Real face Sevilla on Sunday, RB Leipzig – with Vinicius Junior – on Wednesday, and Barça four days later.
These are no easy tasks, especially as they’re followed by another midweek fixture, which does nothing to ease Mourinho’s frustration with La Liga: “The fact that we’re playing in Athens on Wednesday, won’t arrive until five in the morning, and then have to play a tough match in Valencia on Saturday is unbelievable,” the 63-year-old said, looking ahead.
