Vinícius Júnior handed four-match ban, set to miss El Clásico against Barcelona

Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has been handed a four-match suspension following his sending-off during the club’s LaLiga victory over Villarreal, ruling him out of this month’s El Clásico against Barcelona.

Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has been handed a four-match suspension following his sending-off during the club’s LaLiga victory over Villarreal, ruling him out of this month’s El Clásico against Barcelona. The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed on Wednesday that the Brazilian international received a two-match ban for violent conduct after pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabéu. He was handed an additional two-match suspension for his angry reaction to the dismissal, as per ESPN.

The incident occurred moments before Vinícius appeared to double Madrid’s lead by converting Jude Bellingham’s pass. However, a VAR review ruled out the goal, and the forward was shown a red card for the hair-pulling incident. Vinícius had already endured a difficult start to the season, scoring just once for his club, with head coach José Mourinho leaving him out of Real Madrid’s starting XI against Villarreal.

Following Real Madrid’s dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday, Vinícius questioned the timing of the suspension and maintained that he had never been violent towards another player. "They had all day to announce the suspension, yet just as we arrived at the stadium, I was told I'm out for four league games," the Brazilian star said.

"We've never had this [hair pulling] explained to us. Someone from La Liga and the referees' association always comes to explain the rules, but never this specific point. It was a red card for me, simple as that... I've never been violent towards another player. I get hit quite a lot, yet the cards end up going to me." The ban is only applicable in domestic competitions, so Mourinho named Vinícius in the starting XI for Wednesday's Champions League game at Roma. He will also be available for games with RB Leipzig on Oct. 21 and AEK on Nov. 4. (ANI)