The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has extended its full and unwavering support to referee Juan Martinez Munuera amidst accusations of negligence by Real Madrid. The controversy arose after the referee failed to report insulting chants directed at Vinícius Júnior during Madrid's recent match against Osasuna.
Following Madrid's 4-2 victory over Osasuna, where Vinícius Júnior netted two goals, the club lodged a formal complaint with the RFEF. Real Madrid alleged that the referee intentionally omitted the derogatory chants of 'Vinícius, die' from his match report despite being alerted by their players during the game.
In response, the RFEF's Technical Committee of Referees issued a statement asserting its unequivocal backing of Martinez Munuera. The Committee clarified that after reviewing the match audios, no Real Madrid player was heard addressing the crowd incidents, and the club's delegate did not report any such incidents post-match.
The RFEF emphasized that the referee can only document incidents that occur on the field of play in his report. It was also highlighted that the official match reporter, who is part of the Technical Committee of Referees, did include significant crowd incidents in his report, which is routinely submitted to the disciplinary body of the RFEF.
Furthermore, Osasuna released a statement refuting claims of racist chanting and condemning the insults by a minority of fans. Real Madrid has also reported similar derogatory chants aimed at Vinícius Júnior in other matches, including before Barcelona's Champions League tie with Napoli and Atletico Madrid's game against Inter Milan.
