Vinicius Junior has mocked the officiating after being kicked from behind by Espanyol player Cala during Real Madrid’s opening La Liga fixture, an incident that went unpunished and sparked a heated reaction from the Spanish club’s players and substitutes.
The Brazil forward was on the pitch when Cala appeared to kick him from behind. The referee awarded Real Madrid a free-kick but did not show the Espanyol player a card.
The incident quickly became one of the main talking points from the match, with Real Madrid players protesting the decision and expressing their belief that the challenge deserved a caution.
Vinicius was visibly angered by the kick and immediately got to his feet to confront his opponent. A brief confrontation then developed between several players, although the situation did not escalate into a more serious altercation.
The referee judged that a foul had been committed against Vinicius Junior, but decided that the offence did not warrant a booking for Cala. The video assistant referee also did not intervene, as the incident was considered not to meet the threshold for a review.
That decision caused frustration on the Real Madrid bench as well as among the players on the field. They believed the nature of the contact should have resulted in a yellow card for the Espanyol player.
The debate continued after the final whistle when DAZN shared a video of the incident on its social media accounts. Vinicius responded by reposting the footage and adding a sarcastic message that reflected his view of how the episode had been handled.
“Yellow card for Vini!” he wrote.
The Brazil international’s comment was understood as a pointed reference to the lack of disciplinary action against Cala. By sharing the clip, Vinicius drew further attention to an incident that had already caused anger among Real Madrid’s players and substitutes during the game.
The episode has therefore continued to attract discussion beyond the match itself, centring on the referee’s decision to award only a foul and the decision not to involve the video assistant referee.
For Real Madrid, the controversy formed part of the early debate surrounding the side’s start to its La Liga campaign. For Vinicius, the social-media response offered a public expression of his displeasure after the challenge and the subsequent decision-making by the officials.
