Real Madrid News
Valencia hit with partial stadium closure, €45,000 fine after racist attacks against Vinicius Jr
Sunday brought with it one of the most traumatising nights in Vincius Jr’s professional career. At the Mestalla Stadium with close to 50,000 fans in the stands, the youngster was subjected to repeated racial abuse as the game took an ugly turn.
While he had remained silent on occasions before, he did not hesitate to hit out at La Liga on social media this time around for their sheet negligence to the burning topic. Such was the profound effect of the incident on the Brazilian that rumours of his possible departure began doing the rounds.
Valencia CF promptly rushed into action and scanned the camera footage to identify the fans who triggered such nasty abuses. Having identified a good chunk of them, the administration have announced a lifetime ban for the individuals. However, the hosts on the night will also be forced to pay a hefty price for the actions of their supporters.
As revealed by Carrusel Deportivo, the Competition Committee has decided to hand Valencia both economic and sporting sanctions for Sunday’s incident.
For starters, the Mestalla will only be permitted to run at partial capacity for the next five games. The Mario Kempes stand, which was the stand from where the racist slur began, will be closed for the aforementioned period. Further, Los Che will be fined €45,000 for the antics of their fans.
The controversy on the night did not end with the story on the stands. Vinicius’ sending off in the penultimate minute after a VAR intervention only aggravated the situation and it later came to light that the VAR official sent biased images to the on-field referee to have the Brazilian dismissed.
It appears that the latest events will not push Vini Jr into a premature departure from the club. If appropriate action is not taken, however, the situation could change.
Real Madrid News
Harry Kane ‘very close’ to completing Real Madrid move, only final details remain – report
Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid was finally closed earlier today as officially confirmed by Borussia Dortmund on their website. Yet, the offices at Santiago Bernabeu have not even taken a break to celebrate their success.
According to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, Los Blancos are now completely focused on the acquisition of Harry Kane. The English striker’s arrival is very close to approaching closure and only a few details remain to be sorted.
The Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur representatives reportedly held a meeting today over the striker’s transfer. The agenda was to agree on a number for the transfer fee.
The Premier League side began the proceedings with an expectation of €100 to €110 million in exchange for Kane. However, the Merengues suggested a lower point at €80 to €90 million, albeit with the option to include bonuses.
There is not much separating the two parties at the moment, and the minor gap will be bridged in the coming days. Overall, the meeting ended with a broad understanding between the two clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti sees the English striker as the centre-piece of his attack for next season given the recent departure of Karim Benzema. After all, Kane has been one of football’s most consistent goalscorers over the past decade.
Yet, Los Blancos cannot afford to let their guard down with one signing and will need to rope in at least two more names in attack to serve as backup options. The exits of Mariano Diaz, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard leave them with no squad depth, after all.
Kane has scored 30, 17, and 23 goals in his last three seasons in the Premier League and is the epitome of consistency. Further, he had three assists in his most recent league season and created 14 big chances.
