Six referees have been dismissed for allowing Vinicius Junior to be racially abused, causing him to lose his cool and leading to his ejection.

Real Madrid lost 0-1 to Valencia in the 35th round of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga season at the Estadio de Mestalla in Valencia, Spain, at 4 a.m. ET on April 22. The result leaves Real in third place with 71 points, while Valencia climbs to 13th place with 40 points, moving away from the relegation zone.

Aside from the result, the game was marred by controversy. It was the racial abuse of Vinicius Junior. In the 25th minute of the second half, Vinicius was trying to break down the left flank with a dribble. As he did so, another ball came flying at him.

There were two balls on the pitch. Valencia defender Erai Kumart was able to hit the ball exactly where Vinicius was dribbling. It was a very unprofessional move. The referee immediately warned Kumart, but there’s no way to justify his behavior.

That’s not all. In the closing minutes of the second half, Valencia’s home fans hurled racial slurs at Vinicius that crossed the line. Some fans chanted, “You monkey!” and other slogans. “Vinicius burst into tears when he heard the words ‘Vinicius die,'” according to Spain’s DirectoGol.

Eventually, Vinicius exploded. In a scuffle with Hugo Duro late in the second half, he punched him in the face, and the referee awarded him a direct red card after a video assistant referee (VAR) check. Vinicius was not happy with the decision, and the Valencia fans became even more furious and continued to hurl racial slurs at him.

After the game, Vinicius took to social media to say, “It’s not the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s not the third time. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competitors think it’s normal, the federation does it. The opponents encourage it. It’s a real shame. The league that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi today belongs to racists. A country that chose to show the world the image of a racist country. Today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a racist country. Unfortunately, I can’t defend what happens every week. But I am strong and I will go to the end against racists, even if it is a long journey,” he said in his official statement 안전놀이터.

First, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) punished the referees in question. If you look back at the footage of Vinicius’ ejection, the choking of Vinicius during the scuffle with Valencia players in the moments before was not included in the VAR footage of the foul.

“Following a big decision by the RFEF, Nacho Iglesias Villanueva will be relieved of his video assistant referee (VAR) duties with immediate effect. Along with him, five other VAR referees will not officiate next season,” according to Spain’s Marca.

Referee dismissal is not the end of the story. The federation plans to take action against those responsible for the racial abuse of Vinicius. Real, Vinicius’ club, is likely to lead the way. “The club considers these attacks to be hate crimes and has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the racism,” the club said in a statement released shortly afterward.