The Spanish Football Federation’s Appeal Committee has rejected the appeal lodged by Real Madrid against Vinícius Junior’s suspension, upholding the Brazilian winger’s four-match ban in La Liga.
The sanction stemmed from Vinícius’s red card against Villarreal, following a VAR review that caught him pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during an attacking sequence that ended with a Real Madrid goal, which the referee subsequently disallowed before brandishing a straight red card.
The Disciplinary Committee had suspended the player for two matches for pulling an opponent’s hair in an incident where the ball was not in contention between them, applying Article 130.2, and added a further two matches for protesting in a manner described by the referee’s report as aggressive.
Real Madrid requested that the punishment be annulled on the grounds of a clear and obvious material error, asserting that Vinícius’s hand accidentally brushed Saliba’s hair and headband during a normal challenge, and arguing that the report lacked specific phrasing proving verbal abuse by the player.
However, the Appeal Committee ruled that the footage clearly showed a hair-pulling action and that the explanations provided by the club did not invalidate the referee’s report, while also recognizing the dangerous nature of the conduct and its occurrence away from a legitimate challenge for the ball.
Vinícius will miss the match against Sevilla on October 18, followed by El Clásico against Barcelona at Camp Nou on the 25th of the same month, before sitting out fixtures against Racing Santander and Valencia on November 1 and 7 respectively.
The suspension does not apply to UEFA Champions League matches, allowing the Brazilian winger to feature against RB Leipzig on October 21 and AEK Athens on November 4, though he will not return to domestic league action until the clash with Celta Vigo on November 21.
Real Madrid intend to turn to the Administrative Court for Sport ( TAD ) to demand the annulment or reduction of the penalty, or at least a temporary stay of execution. However, with the current decision standing, José Mourinho will be deprived of one of his most vital assets for four consecutive matches, headlined by the summit clash against Barcelona.
