Vinícius at Risk of Missing El Clásico: Referee’s Report After Villarreal Red Card Points to a Two-to-Three-Match Ban
The night began with a commemorative shirt handed over by the president to celebrate a special milestone, and it ended with a red card and anger in the stands at the Santiago Bernabéu. Now Real Madrid may pay for a few seconds of madness in the biggest game of the season.
The referee’s report has reached the Competition Committee, the Spanish press has started counting the days, and Madrid fans fear that one of the team’s most dangerous weapons will miss the trip to the Camp Nou.
The player is Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior, who was sent off in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday night in LaLiga’s eighth round after pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.
According to Real Madrid’s official website, Vinícius came off the bench in the 52nd minute, before Federico Valverde played a superb through ball for Yan Diomande to score the winner in the 62nd minute, his first goal for the club, after VAR overturned an offside flag.
Just nine minutes later, Vinícius scored a second goal after a run from Jude Bellingham, but referee Isidro Díaz de Mera went to the monitor at the request of VAR official Alejandro Muñiz, who showed that the Brazilian had pulled Saliba’s hair at the start of the move. The goal was ruled out and Vinícius was shown a straight red card, leaving Madrid to play the last 25 minutes with ten men.
Ironically, Vinícius reached 250 LaLiga appearances for Real Madrid in the same match and received a commemorative shirt from president Florentino Pérez. In his ninth season at the club he has now played 384 games, won 14 trophies and scored 78 LaLiga goals.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the referee recorded in his report that the hair pull happened while the ball was not in dispute, as well as the player’s protests after the red card.
The paper explained that article 130.2 of the Spanish federation’s disciplinary code sets a ban of two to three matches for violent acts away from the contest for the ball. That would mean Vinícius misses the game against Sevilla on October 18, as well as El Clásico against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on October 25 if the ban is two matches or more.
The ban would not affect his Champions League availability, with Real Madrid facing Roma on October 14 and RB Leipzig on October 21, while the Competition Committee has not yet issued its final decision.
With the win, in which Thibaut Courtois made key saves, Real Madrid moved up to third place on 18 points, six behind leaders Barcelona two weeks before El Clásico.
