Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has been slapped with a four-game ban for violent conduct after his outrageous hair pull during a recent 1-0 win over Villarreal.
And the Brazilian will miss the El Clasico against Barcelona next week as a result, with Real Madrid already playing catch-up in La Liga.
He was astonished when he heard the news on Wednesday night before Madrid’s incredible 4-3 comeback win against Roma, saying afterwards: ‘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.’
Vini Jr was sent off with a direct red card after tugging the long locks of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba on Saturday.
And he was fuming at his dismissal, with referee Isidro Díaz de Mera noting: ‘after being sent off and still on the field, he continued to protest my decision loudly, heading towards the area where I was with an aggressive attitude.’
Vinicius Jr has been slapped witha four-match ban for this hair pull during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal
He protested against his dismissal and was condemned for his ‘aggressive attitude’
The referee also noted that Vinicius ‘had to be restrained by team-mates’ before eventually leaving the field of play.
He even appeared to shove a La Liga official as he stormed off. Authorities condemned his ‘aggressive attitude’.
Vinicius Jr later posted a brief apology on Instagram, writing: ‘Sorry to my team and my fans’.
But he also posted a series of clips of flashpoints from other matches where he believes players should have been sent off, but were not.
That post came with the caption: ‘And the one who always sees yellow and red is Vinicius. A disgrace.’
His ban will only apply to domestic competitions, so he will miss fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia. The next La Liga match he will be available for is against Celta Vigo on November 22.
Madrid, being a rather argumentative club in these circumstances, may still appeal the suspension according to the Spanish press.
Manager Jose Mourinho held his tongue in his post-match press conference, saying: ‘I’m not going to speak because I want to be on the bench against Sevilla and Barcelona.’
In any case, he will be allowed to play against RB Leipzig and AEK Athens in the Champions League during the period of the ban.
His domestic absence is a blow but the No7 has not been at his prolific best this term, only scoring once and creating three assists in eight games.
‘He is going to emerge,’ Mourinho told TNT Sports in a display of confidence. ‘It is just a question of when.’
Oddly enough, Vinicius thought he had scored his second goal of the season against Villarreal, but after the referee was called over to the monitor, he was sent off for the hair pull during the build-up and his effort was chalked off.
Madrid sit fourth in La Liga, six points behind Barcelona, who have made a perfect start.
They found their mojo at Roma in the Champions League, coming from 3-1 behind to win 4-3 late on as the Italian hosts paid tribute to their former manager Mourinho with a tifo, making him visibly emotional.
