Madrid, Oct 15: Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been banned for four league matches, including the “clasico” against Barcelona, after pulling the hair of an opponent in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Villarreal.
Vinicius was shown a straight red card in the 73rd minute for having tugged hard on the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba when they were sprinting down the field, moments before the Madrid player scored a goal. The goal was also ruled out.
The Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee announced the four-match suspension shortly before Madrid’s Champions League match at Roma on Wednesday. Madrid came from two goals down to snatch a 4-3 win in the Italian capital and coach Jose Mourinho slammed the timing of the announcement afterwards.
“Do you think it’s normal for a player from a Spanish team, preparing for an important match that’s also crucial for Spanish soccer, to find out about his four-match suspension just two hours before kickoff?” Mourinho said.
“Couldn’t they have announced the decision now or tomorrow morning? We were on the bus about to arrive at the stadium when we found out. They’ve started doing things without any shame.” Real Madrid was expected to appeal the suspension. Spanish media said an initial appeal had already been dismissed. (AP)