Madrid, 15 October (H.S.): Real Madrid star forward Vinícius Júnior has been handed a four-match suspension following his red card in a La Liga fixture against Villarreal. The decision means the Brazilian international will miss the highly anticipated El Clásico against Barcelona later this month.

The disciplinary committee of the Spanish Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday that Vinícius had been handed a two-match ban for violent conduct after pulling the hair of Villarreal player Nathan Saliba during Saturday’s match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He has received an additional two-match suspension for his angry reaction to being shown the red card.

The incident occurred when Vinícius attempted to double Real Madrid’s lead by scoring from a pass by Jude Bellingham. However, following a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the goal was disallowed, and Vinícius was sent off for the hair-pulling incident.

The Brazilian forward’s start to the current season has also been below expectations. He has scored just one goal for the club so far. In the match against Villarreal, head coach José Mourinho did not include him in Real Madrid’s starting line-up.

Following Real Madrid’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday, Vinícius questioned the timing of the announcement of his suspension. He also insisted that he had never behaved violently towards another player.

“They had the entire day to announce the suspension, but as soon as we arrived at the stadium, I was told that I would not be able to play in the next four league matches,” Vinícius said.

He added, “Nobody has ever explained to us how this rule concerning hair-pulling is applied. Someone from La Liga or the referees’ association regularly comes to explain the rules, but this particular issue was never addressed. For me, it was a red card, and that is all there is to it. I have never behaved violently towards another player. I am often fouled, but I am the one who gets shown the cards.”

The suspension applies only to domestic competitions. Consequently, Mourinho included Vinícius in Real Madrid’s starting line-up for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Roma. The forward will also be eligible to play in the European fixtures against RB Leipzig on October 21 and AEK on November 4.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar