The Spanish Football Federation and the Technical Committee of Referees have decided to dismiss Javier Iglesias Villanueva and, for next season, five other VAR referees with immediate effect after the controversy aroused in the league match last Sunday at Mestalla between Valencia and Real Madrid, with Vinicius Júnior as the protagonist.
The drastic decision of the arbitration bodies is prompted by the image cut that Iglesias Villanueva, a VAR referee, showed Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, the main referee of the match, about the brawl that ended with the expulsion of Vinicius for a slap to Hugo Duro .
The CTA does not understand the reason why Iglesias Villanueva only showed the image of Vinicius’s blow to Hugo Duro, when seconds before it was the Valencia player who grabbed the Brazilian by the neck, also being an expulsion clear. That is the reason for the immediate dismissal of Iglesias Villanueva. Regarding the other five VAR assistants, the CTA considers that changes are needed and that the use of the arbitration tool evolves for the next season.
The FEF also admits that De Burgos Bengoetxea’s performance was impeccable. In the first place, in the expulsion of the Brazilian with the only image that they showed him from the VAR. Also in the immediate application of the anti-racism protocol for the insults previously uttered towards the Real Madrid striker by some fans.
The white club itself showed its dissatisfaction with this controversial expulsion of Vinicius in a severe statement: “The referee and those responsible for the VAR evaded their responsibilities and made unfair decisions based on incomplete images, which were not seen in their entirety, which were biased and that caused the direct expulsion of our player Vinicius Júnior, “said the statement from Madrid.
Likewise, they stated that “it is not an isolated event” and their “maximum concern to the FEF for not taking action.” Hours later, the highest body in Spanish football dismissed Iglesias Villanueva and five other VAR officials in what is already the first drastic decision after the crisis experienced by everything that happened in Valencia-Real Madrid last Sunday with Vinicius as the protagonist of all actions.
Iglesias Villanueva will be in the VAR of the match between Betis and Getafe this Wednesday, since he was already designated for that match before the controversy at Mestalla. The match between the Verdiblancos and the Azulones will be his last as assistant referee.
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