Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to receive monetary compensation from FIFA for Vinicius Jr.’s injury
The ongoing international break has brought unpleasant developments in Real Madrid’s camp.
Both Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr. suffered relatively serious injuries on duty with their respective national teams and are both expected to miss the rest of the year.
The duo joins the team’s long list of injured players which already includes the likes of Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Aurelien Tchouameni, further compromising Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.
FIFA will compensate the club
Earlier this week, reports brought out the estimated compensation Real Madrid would receive for Camavinga’s injury to be around €1 million.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the situation with Vinicius Jr. is similar.
FIFA will begin to compensate Real Madrid for the Brazilian winger’s absence from December 14th, 28 days after his injury on international duty.
Los Blancos will receive €20,548 per day thereafter, and considering that the player will be out for 10 weeks, they will add at least €863.016 to their coffers.
A brutal blow
It is clear at this point that Vinicius Jr. is fundamental to Real Madrid’s plans. He is one of the team’s X factors on the field and often the spark that brings home three points.
Having suffered a blow to his femoral biceps, the youngster is expected to be out until February 2024 in the worst-case scenario.
The team will merit higher financial compensation if Vinicius is ruled out for longer, but his value on the field far exceeds the monetary compensation.
After all, he will not only miss decisive games in La Liga and Copa del Rey, but also sit out of the Spanish Super Cup in January.
Ancelotti will hope that the likes of Rodrygo and Joselu step up in his absence, but no one can quite replicate the young phenom’s impact on the game.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
