Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has been handed a four-game ban after his red card for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair against Villarreal, ruling him out of the upcoming La Liga Clasico away to Barcelona.
Key takeaways
- Vinicius will miss Madrid’s October 25 trip to league-leading Barcelona.
- The Brazilian received two matches for violent conduct and two more for protesting to officials.
- He is also suspended for league fixtures against Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valencia.
- Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 despite the dismissal and remain six points behind Barcelona.
- Barcelona have won all 10 of their matches in every competition this season.
Disciplinary decision and fixture impact
The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed the punishment, with the 26-year-old sanctioned both for the incident that led to his sending-off and for his reaction afterwards.
Vinicius was given a two-match suspension for violent behaviour while not contesting possession, while an additional two-game penalty was imposed for his protests towards the match officials.
In addition to the Clasico at Camp Nou on October 25, Vinicius will be absent for Madrid’s La Liga meetings with Sevilla on October 18, Racing Santander on November 1 and Valencia on November 7.
Jose Mourinho’s side nevertheless secured a 1-0 victory over Villarreal following Vinicius’s dismissal. The result left fourth-placed Madrid six points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the table.
Vinicius reaction and Madrid’s Clasico test
The winger was angered by the decision, which followed a VAR check. The review also disallowed a goal Vinicius scored after the hair-pulling incident involving Saliba.
Team-mates had to restrain Vinicius as he argued with referee Isidro Diaz de Mera. Mourinho was similarly unhappy with the officiating and declined to attend his post-match media conference.
Vinicius later issued an apology to both the squad and Madrid’s supporters on social media. “I am sorry to the team and the fans,” he wrote.
It has been a challenging opening to the season for the attacker, who has managed one goal in nine outings. He began the Villarreal match on the bench and was sent off roughly 20 minutes after coming on.
Madrid’s Camp Nou visit will mark Mourinho’s first Clasico since he returned to lead Los Blancos in the summer. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, the reigning Spanish champions for the past two seasons, have started the campaign flawlessly with 10 wins from 10 games in all competitions.
