Vinicius Jr has received a four-match suspension following his controversial red card against Villarreal, ruling the Real Madrid winger out of the upcoming El Clasico.
Vinicius Receives Four-Match Ban After Villarreal Red Card and Will Miss El Clasico
Vinicius Jr has officially been handed a four-match LaLiga suspension following his red card during Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
The Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee announced the punishment after reviewing the incident and the Brazilian’s reaction to being sent off.
The decision means Vinicius will miss four league matches, including one of Real Madrid’s biggest games of the season.
He will not be available for El Clasico against Barcelona on October 25.
Why Vinicius received a four-match ban
Vinicius was sent off during the second half against Villarreal after VAR reviewed an incident involving Nathan Saliba.
The Real Madrid winger was judged to have grabbed Saliba by the hair while the ball was not being contested.
That action resulted in a two-match suspension.
However, the punishment did not end there.
The referee’s report also described Vinicius as reacting aggressively after seeing the red card and said teammates had to hold him back.
He therefore received another two-match suspension for his protests, taking the total punishment to four games.
Vinicius will miss El Clasico
The biggest consequence for Real Madrid is that Vinicius will not be able to face Barcelona.
His four-match suspension covers the league games against:
Sevilla
Barcelona
Racing Santander
Valencia
That means Vinicius will be unavailable when Real Madrid travel to face Barcelona at Camp Nou on October 25.
His absence could be a major blow for Real Madrid in one of the most important matches of their season.
Real Madrid unhappy with the punishment
Real Madrid had hoped Vinicius would receive a shorter suspension.
The club argued against parts of the case, but the Disciplinary Committee did not accept those arguments.
Reports in Spain suggest Madrid consider the four-match punishment too severe and are preparing to continue their appeal.
However, unless the decision is changed, Vinicius will remain suspended for El Clasico.
Vinicius can still play in the Champions League
The suspension only applies to LaLiga matches.
That means Vinicius remains available for Real Madrid’s Champions League fixtures during the same period.
He was able to play against Roma shortly after the punishment was announced and can continue to feature in European competition.
His next domestic appearance, however, will have to wait until the four-match ban has been completed.
Vinicius apologised after the incident
Following the Villarreal match, Vinicius apologised to his Real Madrid teammates and supporters for the red card.
The Brazilian admitted that his actions had hurt the team during an important match.
But the disciplinary authorities still decided that both the original incident and his reaction afterwards required punishment.
The result is one of the heaviest domestic suspensions Vinicius has received during his time at Real Madrid.
A major problem for Real Madrid
Vinicius remains one of Real Madrid’s most dangerous attacking players.
Losing him for four league matches would already be difficult, but his absence against Barcelona makes the situation even more serious.
El Clasico could play an important role in the LaLiga title race, with Real Madrid trying to close the gap on their rivals.
Jose Mourinho will now have to find another attacking solution for the trip to Camp Nou.
All eyes now on Real Madrid’s appeal
The disciplinary decision has now made the situation clear: Vinicius has been suspended for four LaLiga matches.
But the story may not be completely finished.
Real Madrid can still attempt to have the punishment reduced through the appeals process.
For now, however, Vinicius is officially set to miss El Clasico after paying a heavy price for his controversial night against Villarreal.
