September 13, (THEWILL) – When Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior scored in the Sunday La Liga fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu to give the hosts the lead against Celta Vigo six minutes from the hour mark, the Brazilian ran into the stands to celebrate his goal with the team’s supporters.
This earned Vinicius a yellow card as match referee Jose Sanchez applied the rule of the game by promptly booking him. Yet, there were some questions raised about the possibility of still further sanctions from the League itself for the 21-year-old
THEWILL recalls that on August 22, after Levante completed a stirring comeback by drawing level with Real Madrid, Paco Lopez’s players celebrated with the fans in the stands at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia. The scorer of the equaliser, Jose Campana, who the referee blamed for the incident, was yellow-carded accordingly.
The occasion of the presence of fans returning to the iconic grounds of the Bernabeu, which had been vacated for upgrades and renovations with the lockdowns necessitated by the pandemic, must have evoked an emotional connection for the Brazilian and he let himself be overtaken by his celebrations.
As THEWILL reported, it was the first time the stands in the stadium were occupied by the fans since football resumed in the aftermath of the global suspension of all sporting activities due to the pandemic. In the meantime, Real had used the Alfredo Stefano Stadium of their Castillo team while the Bernabeu underwent renovations.
Questions about the possibility of sanctioning Vinicius or assigning him any further punishments as he was supposed to have known not to jump into the stands since he knew the rules and was an eye-witness to the yellow card of Campana in August, were ruled out as unnecessary.
The situation involving Vinicius was not going to extend to any manner of reprimand from the Competition Committee, the only body that can sanction footballers, as the matter was considered to have been fairly dealt with by the on-pitch referee.
Yet, it is worth following within the league as more and more fans are packing into the stands across La Liga, placing a responsibility on team managers to caution their players from unnecessary extravagance while celebrating goals to avoid a situation where the Competition Committee feels compelled to intervene.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
