Harsh penalty for Vinícius Júnior: Real Madrid loses its star for El Clásico
Real Madrid has received a major blow to its league aspirations. Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior has been handed a four-match suspension following his expulsion in the recent clash against Villarreal, a decision that rules him out of the highly anticipated Clásico against Barcelona, scheduled for October 25th at the Spotify Camp Nou.
The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) made the determination after evaluating the events that occurred in the 73rd minute of the match. According to the referee’s report, the attacker was sent off directly after being caught by VAR committing an act of violent conduct by pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair, even though the ball was not in play at that moment.
Suspension details
The sanction, based on articles 127 and 130.2 of the Disciplinary Code, is divided as follows:
- Two matches for violent conduct off the ball.
- Two additional matches for angry protests and the aggressive attitude shown towards referee Isidro Díaz after receiving the red card.
This forced absence will deprive the white team of having the Brazilian for the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing de Santander, and Valencia.
The Disciplinary Committee dismissed the allegations presented by the white club, considering that the images supported the referee’s report and allowed for the confirmation of the hair-pulling, without there being sufficient elements to determine a manifest material error.
The club and player’s stance
Real Madrid attempted to reverse the situation by arguing in favor of the player; however, the Committee maintained its position, considering that the protests following the expulsion were an independent and sanctionable act. After the incident, the forward used his digital platforms to express his apologies to both the institution and the Merengue fans.
On the other hand, in the same resolution, the disciplinary body did accept Real Madrid’s allegations regarding the yellow card shown to player Konaté, deciding to annul it with no disciplinary consequences for the footballer.
