Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss four matches, including the El Clasico against Barcelona, after receiving a suspension for violent conduct and protesting to officials. The Brazil international was sent off in Real’s 1-0 win over Villarreal last Saturday for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during play. The incident led to a referee review on the pitchside monitor, which disallowed Vinicius’s second-half goal and resulted in his immediate dismissal.
The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee handed Vinicius a four-match ban. Two games were for “behaving violently while not being in a position to challenge for the ball,” and two more for “protests” directed at match officials. This suspension will sideline him for fixtures against Sevilla on 18 October, Barcelona on 25 October, Racing Santander on 1 November, and Valencia on 7 November.
The timing of the suspension announcement drew strong criticism from Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. The decision came just hours before Real faced Roma in the Champions League, with Vinicius still featuring in that match. Mourinho questioned why the information was released so close to kickoff, suggesting it disrupted the team’s preparation.
“Do you think it’s normal that a player from a Spanish team, who has to play a match that is also important for Spanish football, that two hours before the match a player knows he’s been given a four-match suspension?” Mourinho said after Real Madrid’s 4-3 comeback win against Roma.
“Couldn’t they do it tomorrow morning? Do we have to come by bus and almost arrive at the stadium when we find out Vinicius has a four-match suspension? They do things shamelessly now. The cat is out of the bag now. Two hours before the match, a player must know he has a four-match suspension.”
Mourinho added, “A Spanish team that has earned three points for Spanish football, for the rankings, for the prestige of Spanish football. You want to kill a player two hours before the match? It doesn’t seem normal to me.”
Vinicius’s red card came after he entered the match against Villarreal at the 52nd minute and appeared to score the second goal for Real Madrid. However, the referee’s video review showed him pulling Saliba’s hair in the buildup, leading to the goal being disallowed and the sending off.
Following the match, Mourinho did not attend the post-match press conference. Vinicius Jr later issued an apology on social media, writing he was “sorry to the team and the [Real Madrid] fans.”
The suspension removes one of Real Madrid’s most influential attackers for a run of fixtures that includes their marquee La Liga clash with Barcelona. It also raises questions about the disciplinary committee’s decision to announce the ban hours before the Champions League match, a move Mourinho described as damaging to both the player and the club.
According to Joy Online.
