Vinicius gets four-match ban, ruled out of El Clasico

Real Madrid have suffered a major setback ahead of El Clasico after Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr was handed a four-match suspension, ruling him out of the highly anticipated clash against Barcelona on October 25.

The winger was sent off during Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal last Saturday after pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in an incident that prompted a review by the match officials.

Vinicius, who came on in the 52nd minute, thought he had doubled Madrid’s lead. However, the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor, disallowed the goal and showed the Brazilian a red card for pulling Saliba’s hair before the finish.

The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee subsequently handed Vinicius a two-match suspension for violent conduct while not challenging for the ball, with a further two matches added for protesting against the officials.

The punishment means he will miss Madrid’s league fixtures against Sevilla on October 18, Barcelona on October 25, Racing Santander on November 1 and Valencia on November 7.

His absence from El Clasico represents a significant blow to Madrid, with the Brazilian forward among the club’s key attacking players for one of Spanish football’s biggest fixtures.

Following the Villarreal match, Madrid manager Jose Mourinho did not attend the post-match news conference.

Vinicius later apologised to the club and its supporters in a social media post, saying he was “sorry to the team and the Real Madrid fans”.

Madrid must now prepare for the Barcelona encounter without the forward as they seek to maintain their competitive position in the Spanish league.