Vinícius Júnior has caused fresh controversy after apologising for his red card against Villarreal before sharing social media posts questioning the way referees treat him.

Vinícius Sparks Controversy With Social Media Activity Just Hours After Villarreal Red Card

Vinícius Júnior has found himself at the centre of another major controversy just hours after being sent off in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal.

The Brazilian initially apologised to his teammates and supporters after receiving a direct red card.

However, his later activity on social media quickly changed the story.

Vinícius shared posts suggesting that referees regularly treat him differently from other players.

Vinícius apologises after red card

Shortly after the match, Vinícius took to Instagram to address the incident.

He wrote:

“The happiness continues… Sorry to my team and the fans.”

The message appeared to show that he accepted responsibility for leaving Real Madrid with ten men late in the game.

However, he did not directly apologise to Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba, who was involved in the incident.

Social media post changes the situation

Only a short time later, Vinícius reposted content from a fan account questioning the way referees treat him.

One message suggested that Vinícius is often the player who receives yellow and red cards, even when opponents are also involved in controversial incidents.

The posts included examples from previous matches in which the Brazilian had been fouled without opponents receiving similar punishment.

This was widely seen as an indirect complaint about refereeing standards.

Two very different messages

The timing of the posts created immediate debate.

First, Vinícius apologised for his actions and the problems they caused his team.

Then, only hours later, he appeared to support claims that referees are unfair toward him.

That contrast has led some critics to question whether his apology was fully matched by his later reaction.

What happened against Villarreal?

Vinícius entered the match from the bench and later thought he had scored for Real Madrid.

However, VAR reviewed an incident before the goal.

Replays showed Vinícius pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair when the ball was not being directly contested between the two players.

The goal was cancelled and Vinícius was shown a direct red card.

VAR audio supports red-card decision

The Spanish Football Federation later released the VAR audio from the incident.

The VAR team asked referee Isidro Díaz de Mera to review the action for possible violent conduct.

After seeing the replay, the referee decided to send Vinícius off.

The released audio has strengthened the argument that the red-card decision was based on clear video evidence.

Referee report creates more problems

The controversy did not end with the original incident.

The referee’s post-match report also described Vinícius’s reaction after receiving the red card.

According to the report, the Real Madrid forward continued protesting and moved toward the referee in an aggressive manner before teammates stopped him.

That detail could become important when disciplinary officials decide his punishment.

El Clásico place now under threat

Vinícius could now face more than a one-match suspension.

Reports in Spain suggest a ban of two or three matches is possible depending on how the incident and his reaction are judged.

That would create a major problem for Real Madrid.

A suspension of that length could rule Vinícius out of the upcoming El Clásico against Barcelona.

Real Madrid also unhappy with referees

Vinícius is not the only person connected with Real Madrid questioning Spanish refereeing.

Real Madrid TV has continued to criticise decisions involving the club and has highlighted incidents where it believes similar situations were treated differently.

This has added to the growing tension between the club and Spanish refereeing authorities.

Vinícius’s social media activity has now become part of that wider dispute.

Major decision still to come

For now, Vinícius has apologised to Real Madrid, questioned refereeing standards indirectly and is waiting to learn the full punishment for his red card.

The disciplinary decision will determine how many matches he misses and whether he can play against Barcelona.

What began as one moment of frustration against Villarreal has now developed into another major controversy around one of Real Madrid’s biggest stars.