Vinícius Júnior will miss El Clásico against Barcelona on 25 October after the RFEF Disciplinary Committee handed the Real Madrid forward a four-match La Liga suspension on Wednesday for his red card against Villarreal.
The Brazilian was sent off at the Bernabéu on 10 October for pulling the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba in the move that ended with his disallowed goal, as covered in our Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal match report. The ban also rules him out of league games against Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valencia.
Two offences, two matches each
The Committee's resolution, published on 14 October, splits the ban in two. Two matches come under article 130.2 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code for violent conduct away from the play, as Vinícius was ruled unable to contest the ball when he pulled Saliba's hair. The other two come under article 127 for protesting at referee Isidro Díaz de Mera after the dismissal. Both are the minimum the articles allow, plus fines.
According to the referee's report, quoted by El País, Vinícius kept protesting "at the top of his voice" after being sent off, moved towards the referee "with an aggressive attitude" and had to be held back by team-mates.
Real Madrid's arguments rejected
Real Madrid argued the referee's report contained a manifest error: that the footage showed accidental contact with Saliba's hair and headband during a tussle, that the ball was live, and that the protests were not a separate offence. The Committee disagreed, calling the images "compatible with the referee's account" and the hair pull "unequivocal". ABC reports that Real Madrid will appeal in a bid to reduce the ban.
The same ruling gave Mourinho's assistant Nuno Luis Da Costa Santos a one-match ban for protests. Real Madrid did get Ibrahima Konaté's yellow card from the game annulled, after video showed he did not touch his opponent.
The four matches Vinícius will miss
According to the LaLiga fixture list:
- Real Madrid vs Sevilla, Matchday 9, Sunday 18 October, Santiago Bernabéu (20:00 UK)
- Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Matchday 10, Sunday 25 October, Camp Nou (20:00 UK)
- Racing Santander vs Real Madrid, Matchday 11, Sunday 1 November, El Sardinero
- Valencia vs Real Madrid, Matchday 12, Saturday 7 November, Mestalla
Unless it is reduced on appeal, he would return at home to Celta on Matchday 13, after the November international break. The ban covers La Liga only, leaving him available in the Champions League against RB Leipzig (21 October) and AEK Athens (4 November).
Sevilla will also be short on Sunday: the same Committee banned Isaac Romero for one match after his red card in the 3-3 draw at Levante.
Mourinho questions the timing
The decision was made public about two hours before Real Madrid's Champions League match at Roma on Wednesday night. "You should ask the Committee why it didn't do it this morning or tomorrow morning, why they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish team," Mourinho told Movistar. Vinícius featured as Real Madrid came from 3-1 down to win 4-3, with Antonio Rüdiger scoring the 90th-minute winner.
Seen a betting account making suspicious claims? Check it free in the BetAlert scam database.