By ESPN | Created at 2024-12-16 15:11:31 | Updated at 2024-12-16 18:52:57
3 hours ago
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How Vinicius Jr.'s absence was felt in Real Madrid's draw vs. Rayo (2:26)
Craig Burley and Luis Garcia reflect on Real Madrid's 3-3 draw against Rayo Vallecano with Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe out of the lineup. :+1::skin-tone-2: 1 (2:26)
Alex Kirkland
Rodrigo Faez
Dec 16, 2024, 09:39 AM ET
LaLiga will formally report a gesture aimed by Vinícius Júnior at Rayo Vallecano fans after Real Madrid's 3-3 draw on Saturday, as well as fan chanting which preceded it, sources have told ESPN.
Vinícius was a second-half substitute in the LaLiga clash in Vallecas, which saw Madrid go 2-0 down, respond to lead 3-2, and then concede again to drop two valuable points in the title race.
Video clips shared on social media showed the Brazil international responding to chants and shouts from the crowd as he left the field, with a gesture which appeared to suggest Rayo will be relegated to the second division.
On Monday, sources told ESPN that LaLiga would be reporting both the fan chanting, and Vinícius' response, to the Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee.
"I'll have to see the final report," LaLiga president Javier Tebas told reporters on Monday. "I saw the game. It's important to stress that there was no racist chanting ... I think there was provocation, with those insults, and the player, like any other, got annoyed, that's all."
Speaking to COPE radio on Sunday, Rayo president Raúl Martín Presa described Vinicius' actions as "not correct."
"You're telling a fan, a Rayo fan, 'go to the second division' when for us, being in the first division is survival," Martín Presa said. "Footballers should be professional."
