Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been handed a four-match suspension following his red card in Saturday’s La Liga victory over Villarreal.
The Brazilian will miss four league fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia, including the highly anticipated El Clásico against Barcelona on October 25, 2026.
The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee imposed the ban on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, dividing the punishment between the incident that led to his dismissal and his subsequent reaction towards the referee.
Two matches were imposed for pulling Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba’s hair during an incident away from the contest for the ball, while a further two were added for his protests after being sent off.
Vinicius was dismissed after a VAR review during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal on October 10, 2026. The forward had thought he had scored a second goal, but the strike was ruled out after the review revealed the hair-pulling incident.
His reaction to the red card drew further attention, with teammates having to restrain him as he protested the decision.
The suspension is a major setback for Real Madrid, who will be without one of their key attacking players for a crucial stretch of domestic fixtures.
However, Vinicius remains available for the club’s UEFA Champions League matches during the suspension.
