Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid will miss the upcoming El Clasico against Barcelona on October 25 due to a four-match suspension imposed for pulling an opponent's hair during a La Liga match. The suspension follows a red card issued to Vinicius during the match against Villarreal last week.
The Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee announced the ban on Wednesday, which includes the match against league champions Barcelona. Vinicius received the red card after a video assistant referee (VAR) review determined that he should be dismissed for the hair-pulling incident involving Nathan Saliba.
Vinicius, who entered the match in the 52nd minute, was red-carded 20 minutes later. He had initially thought he scored a goal that would have given Real Madrid a 2-0 lead, but the goal was disallowed following the VAR review.
After the match, Vinicius expressed his regret on social media, apologizing to his teammates and fans. The incident escalated as he reacted angrily to the referee's decision, prompting attempts from his teammates to calm him down as he exited the field. Real Madrid's manager, Jose Mourinho, had joined the celebrations when Vinicius appeared to score before the decision was overturned.