Former Real Madrid player backs Vinicius amid red card controversy: ‘An outrageous exaggeration’

Former Real Madrid player backs Vinicius amid red card controversy: ‘An outrageous exaggeration’ The season has not been an easy one for Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. For starters, the player has been severely out of form and has struggled to contribute to the team’s attack. With every passing game, the pressure on him continues to mount. Just when it seemed like the player scored a pressure-relieving goal last weekend, matters turned sour as the referee went through the buildup to the goal and found a red-card-worthy offense, sending the player off. Now, he is officially suspended for four games for the violent hair-pulling and the reaction to the referee’s decision – a punishment that is seen to be too harsh. Morientes speaks on Vinicius Tough times for the winger. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images) Former Real Madrid player Fernando Morientes was asked about Vinicius Jr.’s suspension (h/t The Madrid Zone ) and whether he saw the four-game ban to be justified. Needless to say, the former player made it very clear that the punishment was harsh for the foul in question and that a shorter suspension would have been justified. “Vinícius’ red card? Its unbelievable, I’m extremely upset,” he began. “A two-match suspension would have been more than enough, while four matches is considered an outrageous exaggeration and an elevation of the matter to the level of assault,” he added. Elaborating on why the foul in question was not worthy of a four-game suspension, Morientes said, “What assault do you see? And what problem occurred with the player who pulled his hair? I know and understand that it’s a straight red card with no room for debate on that, but taking it to four matches seems completely over the top.” The topic then diverted to how the announcement of his ban was made just two hours before Real Madrid’s kickoff against Roma, and whether it was a premeditated attempt to destabilize the player. “When you’re told two hours before the match that you’ve been suspended for four games, that’s something you can’t ignore.” Vinicius is suspended for four games. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Elaborating on the kind of impact such a message has on the player ahead of a big game, he said, “When I put myself in the player’s shoes, and you find yourself facing an important Champions League match, you call your wife and tell her: ‘Darling, we’re heading to the stadium,’ and she says to you: ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but our daughter has a fever and I had to take her to the emergency room.’ Of course, in that match, I wouldn’t be calm at all, because there’s a personal obstacle.” “And I put the personal obstacle and the professional obstacle on exactly the same level,” he added. Finally, he spoke about how the news must have been devastating for the player, as four games is close to a month of the competition. “I understand that news like this hurts any player because they won’t be present in the matches, and we’re talking about four matches, not one or two, but four full matches, which is a lot. In the past, it amounted to almost a full month of competition.” Morientes then concluded his interview by speaking on Real Madrid’s midfield deficiencies and what he made of the situation. “It’s true that the midfield, with all that happened since the start of the season, gives credence to those who were saying that having an organized midfielder with good positioning was an important for this team.” “Especially with the debate that was stirred up over whether Rodri should be signed or not,” he added.