Vinicius Jr ban revealed: goodbye to El Clásico

Vinicius will miss El Clásico. It is official: a four-match suspension for his sending-off against Villarreal on Saturday night. The punishment stems from grabbing Saliba’s hair and then protesting the decision.

The disciplinary authorities determined that the ball was not in dispute at the time of the incident, warranting a two-match ban rather than one, and that his reaction to the red card constituted an “aggressive attitude”, adding another two matches. He will therefore miss four games: Sevilla, Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Racing Santander and Valencia. He will not feature in LaLiga for Real Madrid again until after the next international break, when they face Celta on matchday 13, scheduled for November 20-23. He is set to spend more than a month out of domestic league action. His focus now shifts to the Champions League. And the big one is gone: goodbye to Barcelona.

Real Madrid consider the punishment disproportionate and believe it reflects the state of the system at every level, from refereeing to the disciplinary committees.

Nevertheless, the club had spent days preparing for the possibility of a lengthy suspension. Their hopes were pinned on a two-match ban rather than three, let alone the four that were ultimately imposed. They were particularly hopeful of leniency over his protests. The incident itself, however, left little room for argument once the referee’s report and video footage were considered. In the 70th minute, Vinicius grabbed Saliba by the hair. It happened at the start of a counterattack that ended with a goal. The incident initially went unnoticed, but VAR intervened and changed everything. Díaz de Mera Escuderos needed only a couple of replays before showing the Brazilian a straight red card. He was sent off, and the goal was disallowed.

From that point on, the referee’s report became the key piece of evidence. Its wording was particularly damaging. First, it explicitly stated that the hair grab occurred “with the ball not in dispute”. In football, the distinction between an incident involving a ball in dispute and one away from the play can have a significant impact on the punishment. In this case, it raised the minimum suspension to two matches. Second, the report described Vinicius’s subsequent protests as an “aggressive attitude, requiring teammates to restrain him”. That accounted for the additional two games. Incensed by the decision, the Brazilian even pushed LaLiga’s match director and told him “shitty league”. He had completely lost his temper.

Real Madrid knew their appeals were always going to be a long shot. They were effectively clinging to a pipe dream, hoping the disciplinary committee would take into account that the referee had not recorded any insults or similar language in his report. Instead, he had described Vinicius’s behaviour in terms that left room for interpretation. Ultimately, however, there was no clemency.

Vinicius receives two matches for the hair grab, with the ball not in dispute, and another two for his aggressive protests. He will play tonight in Rome, but after that his only competitive action before the next international break will come in the Champions League. Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia are all off the agenda. His return to LaLiga is scheduled for matchday 13, against Celta between November 20 and 23. A hammer blow for Real Madrid, and a suspension that rules him out of El Clásico.

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