Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva was shown the red card by Spain’s refereeing committee on Tuesday and will not officiate any of his forthcoming matches as a result of his participation in the sending off of Vinicius Junior against Valencia.
The 47-year-old is said to have been fired by the Spanish media, although the Spanish football federation would not confirm this information when questioned by AFP.
During Valencia’s 1-0 victory against Real Madrid in the La Liga match on Sunday, Iglesias Villanueva was in charge of the video assistant referee (VAR) system. During the match, Los Blancos striker Vinicius was subjected to racist insults by home supporters at Mestalla.
Later on in the match, the 22-year-old was given a red card for making contact with Valencia’s Hugo Duro. This decision was made by the referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea after he examined VAR footage of a fight between the two sides.
On the other hand, Iglesias Villanueva did not show the part of the film in which Duro grabs the Brazilian around the neck with his arm first; this would have been another act that warranted a red card.
Vinicius was kicked off the team and will likely sit out anywhere from two to three games as a result; as a result, it is possible that he may not play for Madrid again this year.
The Brazilian striker was present at Real Madrid’s training facility on Tuesday, but he did not participate in team drills with the other players since he will not be able to play in Wednesday’s match against Rayo Vallecano.
Iglesias Villanueva was scheduled to serve as the primary VAR official for Real Betis’ game on Wednesday against Getafe, and he was also scheduled to serve as a VAR assistant for Athletic Bilbao’s match against Osasuna on Thursday.