Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been handed a four-match suspension for pulling an opponent’s hair and aggressively protesting his subsequent red card, ruling him out of the upcoming El Clasico against Barcelona and prompting a furious response from coach Jose Mourinho.
The Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee announced the punishment Wednesday, just hours before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma in the Italian capital. Mourinho criticized the timing, arguing that the decision unnecessarily disrupted his team’s preparations for a crucial European fixture.
Vinicius was sent off in the 73rd minute of Saturday’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal after pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba as the two players sprinted down the field. Vinicius had scored shortly before the incident, but his goal was ruled out.
The disciplinary committee imposed a two-match suspension for the hair-pulling incident and an additional two matches for his conduct toward referee Isidro Diaz de Mera after the dismissal.
According to the referee’s match report, Vinicius protested the decision aggressively, raising his voice while moving toward the official and having to be restrained by teammates.
The suspension comes at a difficult time for Real Madrid, who face a demanding stretch of league fixtures that includes their meeting with bitter rivals Barcelona. The Catalan club hold a six-point lead over Madrid at the top of the standings, increasing the importance of the upcoming Clasico.
Real Madrid were expected to appeal the decision, although Spanish media reported that an initial appeal had already been rejected.
Timing issues
Mourinho, whose team recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 4-3, made little effort to conceal his frustration with the announcement.
The Portuguese coach questioned why the federation had chosen to reveal the punishment so close to kickoff, particularly when a Spanish club was preparing for a European match that could affect the country’s standing in continental competition.
“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 after the game.
“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.”
Mourinho went further, accusing the authorities of showing a lack of respect toward the club and its player.
“They’ve started doing things without any shame,” he said.
The coach also argued that the announcement could have affected Vinicius mentally ahead of the match, describing the timing as difficult to understand given the importance of the fixture.
“A Spanish team that has earned three points for Spanish soccer, for the rankings, for the prestige of Spanish soccer,” Mourinho said. “You want to kill a player two hours before the match. It doesn’t seem normal to me.”
Despite the controversy, Vinicius started against Roma as Madrid produced a dramatic late comeback to secure victory.
Fixture schedule
The suspension was not the only issue Mourinho raised after the match. He also criticized the scheduling of Madrid’s upcoming domestic and European fixtures, questioning why his team had been assigned a demanding turnaround between matches.
Madrid are scheduled to face AEK Athens in Greece on Nov. 4 before traveling to Valencia for a La Liga match on Nov. 7. Mourinho argued that the travel demands and limited recovery time would put his players at a disadvantage ahead of an already difficult league encounter.
“At the very least, it’s a lack of respect,” he said when asked about the scheduling.
Mourinho pointed to the prospect of returning from Athens in the early hours of Thursday morning before preparing for Saturday’s match in Valencia, which he described as an especially difficult away fixture.
He also dismissed explanations that television broadcasters were responsible for the scheduling decisions.
“The usual excuses, I don’t buy them, because this wasn’t 25 years ago,” Mourinho said. “The excuses from TV, that it was TV that decided, that it was TV that chose the match for Saturday, I don’t buy this anymore. I’m too old to swallow this.”
Mourinho said he intended to challenge what he viewed as unfair treatment of the club and its supporters.
“And this Vinicius story, two hours before a match, knowing that he has a four-match suspension, doesn’t deserve comment,” he said. “Real Madrid fans aren’t stupid, and I will do everything possible to open people’s eyes.”
Late comeback
While Mourinho was critical of the authorities, his team delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the night on the field.
Madrid trailed 3-1 after Donyell Malen scored twice for Roma, leaving the visitors facing defeat with seven minutes remaining. Mourinho’s substitutions then helped transform the contest, with Endrick and Carlos Espi scoring during the late rally while Arda Güler supplied two assists.
The comeback secured a 4-3 victory and offered Madrid a valuable result in their Champions League campaign, even as the controversy surrounding Vinicius threatened to overshadow the performance.
Mourinho rejected suggestions that the turnaround had been part of a carefully planned strategy, but said he believed his substitutes could make a difference late in the game.
“I’m not going to be a genius and say I had prepared everything for a 3-1 to 4-3 victory, it’s not true,” he said.
“But I genuinely thought that in the last 20 minutes I had substitutions I could make, and I had substitutions that could change things.”