Vinicius Junior’s four-match suspension has been upheld after Real Madrid’s appeal was rejected, putting the Brazilian in line to miss El Clasico against Barcelona.
Real Madrid Lose Vinicius Appeal as Four-Match Ban Is Upheld
Real Madrid have suffered a major blow after their appeal against Vinicius Junior’s four-match suspension was rejected.
The Brazilian winger was punished after being sent off during Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
The club asked for the suspension to be cancelled or reduced.
However, the RFEF Appeals Committee has decided to keep the full four-match ban in place.
Vinicius handed four-match suspension
The punishment was split into two separate parts.
Vinicius received two matches for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during the incident that led to his red card.
He was then given another two-match suspension for his reaction towards the referee after being sent off.
That left the Real Madrid star facing a total suspension of four La Liga matches.
Real Madrid appeal rejected
Real Madrid challenged the original punishment and argued that the ban was too heavy.
The club wanted the disciplinary authorities to use a less serious article when judging the hair-pulling incident.
Madrid also questioned the additional punishment connected to Vinicius’ reaction towards the referee.
But the Appeals Committee rejected those arguments and confirmed the full suspension.
Vinicius set to miss El Clasico
The decision creates a major problem for Real Madrid.
If the punishment remains in place, Vinicius will miss four league matches.
Those games are against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia.
That means Vinicius is currently set to miss El Clasico against Barcelona on October 25.
His absence would be a significant blow for Real Madrid in one of the biggest matches of the season.
Why Real Madrid challenged the punishment
Madrid believed the hair-pulling incident should have been punished under a less serious disciplinary rule.
The club hoped that this could reduce the suspension to only one match.
They also questioned the two extra games connected to Vinicius’ behaviour after the red card.
One of the key arguments was that the referee admitted he did not clearly hear exactly what Vinicius said.
Despite that, the disciplinary authorities decided that the player’s behaviour was enough to support the punishment.
Appeals Committee supports referee report
The committee accepted that the referee could judge Vinicius’ actions based on his behaviour and the circumstances of the incident.
That meant the lack of a clearly heard phrase was not enough to remove the punishment.
The original referee report therefore remained important in the final decision.
Real Madrid still have one more option
Although the RFEF appeal has failed, the case may not be completely over.
Real Madrid can still take the matter to Spain’s Administrative Sports Court, known as TAD.
The club could ask for the punishment to be cancelled, reduced or temporarily suspended while the case is reviewed.
That means Vinicius still has a possible route to becoming available for El Clasico.
This is not the absolute final decision yet
The latest ruling is the final decision at the RFEF appeals level.
However, it should not yet be described as the absolute end of the case.
Madrid still have the option of going to TAD.
Until that process is completed, there remains a small possibility that the suspension could change.
Mourinho also criticised the situation
Jose Mourinho has also spoken about the controversy around the case.
The Real Madrid coach criticised the timing of the original punishment decision.
He was unhappy that the ruling was announced shortly before an important Champions League match.
The latest appeal decision has now added even more pressure around the Vinicius situation.
Major blow for Real Madrid
Vinicius remains one of Real Madrid’s most important attacking players.
His pace, dribbling and ability to create chances make him a key part of Mourinho’s system.
Missing four league matches would already be serious.
Missing El Clasico would make the punishment even more painful for both the player and the club.
Vinicius now waits for the next step
For now, the four-match suspension remains in force.
Real Madrid have lost their appeal and Vinicius is currently unavailable for the upcoming league matches.
The club’s next move could be to take the case to TAD in one final attempt to change the punishment.
Until then, Vinicius remains set to miss one of the biggest games of the season against Barcelona.
