Real Madrid's season has taken another blow. The Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee has handed Vinicius Junior a four-match suspension for the bizarre red card he received against Villarreal — two games for pulling an opponent's hair and two more for the way he confronted the referee afterwards.
The ruling, announced on Wednesday, confirms what many at the Santiago Bernabeu had feared since Saturday: the Brazilian winger will miss the season's first El Clasico, when Real Madrid travel to face league leaders Barcelona at the Camp Nou on October 25.
A hair-pull and a meltdown
The flashpoint came in the 72nd minute of Madrid's 1-0 win over Villarreal last Saturday. Vinicius, who had come on as a substitute in the 52nd minute, appeared to have scored Real's second goal — only for VAR to spot him yanking hard on the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba in the build-up.
The referee, Isidro Diaz de Mera, chalked off the goal and showed a straight red card. What turned a one-game sending-off into a four-game ban was what happened next. The Brazilian had to be physically held back by his own teammates as he screamed at the referee, and Diaz de Mera wrote in his match report that the player protested "in an aggressive manner," according to the Associated Press.
The disciplinary committee split the punishment accordingly: two matches for "behaving violently... while not being in a position to challenge for the ball," and two more for his protests toward the officials, as reported by NDTV Sports.
Mourinho loses his star for the biggest night
The ban rules the 26-year-old out of four LaLiga fixtures: Sunday's home game against Sevilla, the trip to Barcelona, and the away matches at Racing Santander and Valencia. It is the Clasico absence that hurts most. Jose Mourinho, back at Real Madrid this summer, will face his old rivals without one of the few attackers capable of unsettling a Barcelona side that has won all ten of its matches in all competitions this season.
Madrid sit fourth in the table, six points behind Barcelona, and the trip to the Camp Nou on October 25 was already shaping up as the defining game of their autumn. Mourinho was visibly furious after the Villarreal match and refused to attend his mandatory post-match press conference, and the federation's verdict will have done nothing to cool tempers.
A season drifting off course
The episode deepens a difficult personal campaign for Vinicius. He has scored only once in nine appearances in all competitions this season, was benched by Mourinho for the first time against Villarreal, and looked short of rhythm in Brazil's recent friendlies against Australia and India during the international break.
He apologised to teammates and supporters on social media after the red card — an incident first covered on Chronicle here and followed up here — but also reposted a video montage of rough challenges he has suffered this season, suggesting he feels singled out by officials. Teammate Aurelien Tchouameni publicly questioned the decision after the game, saying: "I don't know what's happening with the referees, I don't understand this sending-off."
The question now is whether Real Madrid appeal. The club has not yet announced whether it will challenge the sanction, but with the Sevilla game just days away, Madrid's legal team has little time to act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Vinicius Junior banned for four matches?
The Spanish federation's disciplinary committee gave him two matches for the hair-pull on Villarreal's Nathan Saliba — classified as violent conduct — and two more for his aggressive protests toward referee Isidro Diaz de Mera after the red card, as detailed by Sportstar.
Which matches will Vinicius miss?
Four LaLiga games: Sevilla at home, the El Clasico away at Barcelona on October 25, plus away trips to Racing Santander and Valencia.
Can Real Madrid appeal the suspension?
Yes, the club is entitled to appeal the committee's ruling, though it has not confirmed whether it will. Any appeal would need to move quickly, with the Sevilla match coming this weekend.
How has Vinicius's season gone so far?
Poorly by his standards — one goal in nine appearances across all competitions, a first benching under Jose Mourinho, and a run-in with officials that has now cost him four league games at the most important moment of the season.
