Vinicius, Who 'Grabbed Opponent by Hair,' Suspended for 4 Matches... To Miss El Clasico on 26th and More

▲ Vinicius receiving a red card in the match against Villarreal

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, who was sent off and saw his goal nullified after pulling an opponent's hair during a match, has been suspended for four matches.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced a total four-match suspension for Vinicius on the 15th (Korean time).

Vinicius received a red card in the 27th minute of the second half during the 8th round of the Spanish La Liga against Villarreal on the 11th.

At the time, Vinicius scored a goal, but after a video review by the referee caught him pulling the hair of opposing player Nathan Saliba in the preceding play, his goal was canceled and he was ordered off the pitch.

The RFEF Disciplinary Committee issued a total four-match ban by combining a two-match suspension for "violent conduct occurring independently of the ball in a situation where there was no possibility of contesting it or while play was stopped," and another two-match suspension for "protesting against the referee."

Due to this suspension, which applies to domestic Spanish competitions, Vinicius will be unable to play starting from the 9th round league match against Sevilla on the 19th.

His fourth match of the suspension based on La Liga is the 12th round against Valencia on the 8th of next month, meaning Vinicius is expected to return only after that match and the November international break.

In the meantime, Real Madrid also faces its first El Clasico of the season against FC Barcelona in the 10th round of the league on the 26th of this month.

Vinicius, who started in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) match against AS Roma (Italy) on this day—where the suspension does not apply—expressed frustration over the timing of the disciplinary decision and announcement, saying, "They had all day to announce the suspension, but I heard about the four-match league ban as soon as I arrived at the stadium."

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, who did not attend the press conference after the Villarreal match, also stated, "I want to ask the committee why they announced the suspension two hours before an important match, forgetting that Real Madrid is a Spanish club."

(Photo: Getty Images)

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