La Liga: Vinicius Jr Banned for Four Matches, to Miss El Clásico

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has reportedly been handed a four-match suspension by the Spanish Football Federation, ruling him out of the highly anticipated El Clásico against Barcelona on October 25.

The Brazilian winger is expected to miss La Liga matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia following his dismissal during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal.

READ ALSO: FIFA Plans $6.35bn Football Development Fund for 2027–2030

According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano in a post on X on Wednesday, Vinicius will serve a four-game domestic suspension, including the clash against Real Madrid’s fierce rivals Barcelona.

The disciplinary committee reportedly imposed a two-match ban for violent conduct after the forward pulled the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba. A further two-match suspension was imposed over his protests following the red card.

The incident occurred after Vinicius appeared to have scored a second goal for Real Madrid, only for the effort to be disallowed following a video assistant referee review that identified the hair-pulling incident.

The forward was subsequently sent off, with the referee’s report also detailing his reaction to the dismissal.

Vinicius later apologised to his teammates and the club’s supporters following the incident.

His reported suspension would be a significant setback for Real Madrid ahead of their meeting with Barcelona, who are scheduled to host the Spanish giants in the latest edition of El Clásico.

However, the suspension details and the fixtures affected should be confirmed against the Spanish Football Federation’s official disciplinary ruling before publication.