The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed the suspension on Wednesday. Two games are for pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba during Saturday’s 1-0 win at the Bernabéu, the minimum punishment for the offence, and two more are for the way the Brazilian reacted towards the referee afterwards.
ALSO: Regulator chief Kogan sets out timeline for Man City appeal
Madrid have told The Athletic they plan to appeal. The committee was not persuaded by the club’s case against the dismissal, saying the footage “clearly showed a hair pull”. It added that Vinicius “protested the referee’s decision and approached him in an aggressive manner, with his teammates having to restrain him”.
The hair pull happened early in a move that ended with Vinicius putting the ball in the net for what looked like Madrid’s second goal. Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera ruled it out after checking the pitchside monitor and sent the 26-year-old off, prompting a furious reaction.
Vinicius apologised on Instagram, but later shared a compilation of challenges by opponents that he felt deserved cards, writing: “And the one who always sees yellow and red is Vinicius. A disgrace.” Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rüdiger all backed him in the comments.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has been given a four-game ban after being sent off for pulling the hair of an opponent during a La Liga match on Saturday, meaning he will miss the Clasico against Barcelona later this month.
Vinicius Jr, 26, was shown a straight red card in the second half of Madrid’s 1-0 home win over Villarreal for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair.
📝 @MarioCortegana and @GuillermoRai_
🔗 https://t.co/dilfwFK0zf
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 14, 2026
Madrid now face Sevilla, Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou on 25 October, Racing Santander and Valencia without him. The ban applies only to La Liga, leaving him available for Champions League games against Roma tonight, RB Leipzig on 21 October and AEK Athens on 4 November.
AFRICA PICKS: Football tips and predictions
It adds to a difficult start to the season for the winger, who has scored once and set up three goals in nine games across all competitions and has been whistled by sections of the Bernabéu crowd.
Photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images
