Real Madrid file complaint against Osasuna referee over Vinicius Junior abuse

Real Madrid have announced they have filed a complaint against referee Juan Martinez Munuera for "voluntarily and deliberately" ignoring racist abuse of winger Vinicius Junior.

The Brazil international is one of Madrid's star players but has been the victim of a number of racist incidents since moving to Spain.

Los Blancos have now accused Munuera of deliberately omitting the racist abuse of Vinicius during Saturday's 4-2 win at Osasuna, in which the 23-year-old scored twice, from his match report.

A statement from Madrid reads: "After the serious insults uttered, once again, against our player Vinicius Junior, in this case during the last League match played by our team at El Sadar, Real Madrid CF communicates the following.

"Our club has filed a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation against the match referee Juan Martínez Munuera, as a result of the negligent drafting of the referee's report. This referee voluntarily and deliberately omitted the insults and humiliating shouts repeatedly directed towards our player Vinicius Junior, despite being warned insistently by our players at the same time they were occurring.

"In addition, Real Madrid has also filed a complaint with this federative body in relation to the aforementioned insults and humiliating shouts, and has forwarded them to the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in the Sports, so that those who uttered them are identified and punished."

Vinicius has long been the victim of racist abuse in Spain. Four men were arrested in May 2023 for hanging an effigy of the winger from a bridge in Madrid.

That month during a La Liga game against Valencia at the Mestalla, the Brazilian was subjected to more slurs and publicly condemned the incident, leading to a broader discussion on racism in Spain.

Madrid's statement statement adds: "In light of these unfortunate events that occurred in El Sadar, Real Madrid has expanded the complaint that it presented last Friday, March 15, to the State Attorney General's Office against crimes of hate and discrimination, for the racist and hateful insults directed towards our player. Vinicius Junior in the vicinity of the Olympic stadium in Montjuic and the Metropolitan stadium in Madrid, requesting that the perpetrators be identified.

"Real Madrid once again condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hatred, and demands that the necessary measures be taken, once and for all, in order to eradicate the violence that our player Vinicius Junior has been suffering."

Vinicius picked up his fifth league yellow card of the season at the weekend, meaning he will be suspended for Madrid's first game after the March international break against Athletic Club.

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