- The RFEF Disciplinary Committee turned down Real Madrid's challenge to Vinícius Júnior's four-match ban in La Liga
- Vinícius received the punishment after grabbing Nathan Saliba's hair and protesting against the referee in a match against Villarreal
- Real Madrid argued the hair contact was accidental and that the player's protests should not count as a separate offence
The Royal Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) Disciplinary Committee has upheld Vinícius Junior's four-match ban in La Liga after turning down Real Madrid's formal appeal against the ruling.
The suspension stems from the Brazilian forward's red card during La Liga matchday 8, when Real Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 on October 10. Vinícius was dismissed in the 72nd minute after grabbing the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba.
Source: Getty Images
The committee then split his punishment into two parts: two matches for violent conduct off the ball and a further two for his reaction to the referee following the dismissal.
Real Madrid pushed back against both elements of the ban. The club argued that Vinícius made no deliberate contact with Saliba's hair and that available video footage did not support any finding of intentional wrongdoing.
The club also maintained that the player's behaviour towards the referee after receiving the red card did not amount to a separate, punishable offence and should not have been treated as one.
The committee disagreed on both counts. After reviewing the footage, it concluded that Vinícius's conduct following the red card was distinct enough to warrant its own sanction, confirming the original four-match total, as noted by Sport.
As noted by Goal, Madrid have decided to take it a step further to the Administrative Court for Sports.
Real Madrid matches Vinícius will miss
With the appeal dismissed, Vinícius Junior will be absent for four consecutive La Liga fixtures.
These are the home game against Sevilla on October 18, the El Clásico clash against Barcelona on October 25, the trip to Racing on November 1, and the match against Valencia on November 7.
He is expected to be available again for Real Madrid after the November international break, where he will link up with the Brazil national team.
During this period, he will feature in the UEFA Champions League where Madrid will face RB Leipzig and AEK Athens.
Games Reece James will miss
Legit.ng previously reported that Reece James will miss 22 matches after the Chelsea captain underwent minor surgery on a knee injury.
The Blues are expected to be without their captain for up to three months, which could translate to around 22 matches depending on Cup runs.
Source: Legit.ng
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