Vinicius banned for four matches after hair-pull red card

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 19:28 · Archive

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss El Clasico against Barcelona after receiving a four-match suspension for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss El Clasico against Barcelona on 25 October after the Spanish Football Federation's disciplinary committee issued a four-match suspension on Wednesday. The Brazilian forward was sent off during Saturday's 1-0 win against Villarreal after pulling Nathan Saliba's hair in the build-up to a goal he thought he had scored.

Vinicius came on as a substitute in the 52nd minute and was shown a red card in the 72nd minute after a video assistant referee review. The referee summoned to the pitchside monitor saw that Vinicius had pulled Saliba's hair as they sprinted down the field, leading to the goal being disallowed and the dismissal. The suspension will keep him out of league matches against Sevilla on 18 October, Barcelona on 25 October, Racing Santander on 1 November and Valencia on 7 November.

The disciplinary committee split the ban into two components: two matches for 'behaving violently...while not being in a position to challenge for the ball' and two further matches for 'protests' to the officials. After the match, Vinicius was visibly angry with the referee's decision, screaming at Isidro Diaz de Mera whilst teammates tried to calm him down as he left the field. Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho had initially run to celebrate the goal with his players but was left incensed by the reversal.

Following the dismissal, Mourinho did not attend the mandatory post-match news conference. The Independent reports this was reportedly out of concern that commenting on the refereeing decision could trigger a suspension. Vinicius later apologised on social media, posting that he was 'sorry to the team and the fans'. Vinicius has started all but one of Real Madrid's matches this season, making his absence a significant blow ahead of the high-profile encounter with Barcelona.

How it is being reported

• Vinicius Jr to miss El Clasico against Barcelona after receiving four-game banThe Real Madrid winger will miss the games against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia after his red card on SaturdayIndependent Sport · 14 Oct, 19:17
• Vinicius Jr to miss Barcelona game because of banReal Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss El Clasico against Barcelona after being given a four-game ban.BBC Sport · 14 Oct, 19:14
• Real Madrid’s Vinicius banned for Clasico after hair-pull red cardVinicius will miss El Clasico on October 25 in his four-match ban for pulling Saliba's hair in La Liga.Al Jazeera · 14 Oct, 19:03

In this story: Vinicius Jr · Nathan Saliba · Real Madrid · Barcelona · Villarreal · Jose Mourinho

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