Vinicius Junior has been suspended for 4 matches after a direct red card for a crazy gesture, pulling Nathan Saliba's hair, and protesting against the referee in the match against Villarreal. A severe punishment, which the Spanish sports referee justified by emphasizing the footballer's behavior in those moments of tension: "He was shouting at the top of his lungs and had an aggressive attitude, while being held by his teammates". This is the part of the statement that refers to what the referee had noted in his report. This further aggravated the player's position, who avoided an even harsher punishment, after being sent off the field by Rudiger and Valverde.
The Brazilian will miss El Clasico on October 25 against Barcelona, but not only that, as the suspension is long enough to also rule him out of the matches against Sevilla (October 18), Racing Santander and Valencia, after the derby with the Catalans. The punishment given to Vinicius is based on two articles: 121 and 127 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code. The first stipulates: “Violent play is considered such when the action occurs without the possibility of playing the ball; this entails a suspension of two to three matches. Furthermore, if the episode occurs when the game is stopped, the punishment will be at least two matches”. The last sentence explains part of the decision.
The other two match suspensions stem from the circumstances and from what happened shortly afterwards, when the player lost control. At this point, the official report made the difference. This is why he paid dearly for the obvious lack of respect for the referee, which is also confirmed by the film footage. “As for the conduct after the sending-off, this Committee considers that the events described in the ‘Other episodes’ section of the referee’s report constitute separate and distinct conduct from that which led to the sending-off. The footage clearly shows that, after being sent-off, he protested against the referee’s decision, approaching the latter aggressively and requiring the intervention of his teammates to restrain him. Based on the above, it is considered appropriate to impose a sanction of two match suspension, pursuant to Article 127 of the Disciplinary Code, the minimum provided for by that article.” Real Madrid has announced that it will file an appeal, but it is unlikely to secure a significant reduction in the penalty, given what is stated in the decision.
