Real Madrid plan to appeal Vinícius Júnior’s four-match suspension after the RFEF disciplinary committee rejected the club’s initial challenge, with the outcome set to determine whether the forward remains unavailable for El Clásico and three other La Liga fixtures. El Imparcial reports that the club considers the punishment excessive, while The Athletic also reports that Madrid have indicated they will contest the sanction.
The ban currently rules the Real Madrid forward out of matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing de Santander and Valencia. It was imposed after his dismissal against Villarreal, where the committee handed down two matches for protests to the referee and two for an off-the-ball incident.
RFEF rejected Madrid’s first challenge
Vinícius was sent off in the 73rd minute of the Villarreal match after a VAR review. The referee’s report said he pulled Nathan Saliba’s hair while the ball was not in dispute between them, as detailed in the incident that led to Vinícius’s red card.
The disciplinary committee said the footage supported the referee’s account and treated the hair pull as clear. Madrid argued that the contact could have been accidental and challenged whether the evidence showed a manifest material error, but the committee found those arguments insufficient to overturn the decision.
The club had already unsuccessfully challenged the dismissal before the committee. Its new appeal will target the four-match sanction; the ruling treated Vinícius’s protests after the red card as separate conduct from the action that prompted his dismissal.
El Clásico remains at risk as appeal proceeds
Unless the further appeal changes the verdict, Vinícius will miss Sevilla before the October 25 clásico at Spotify Camp Nou. The suspension also covers Real Madrid’s league visits to Racing de Santander on November 1 and Valencia on November 7.
The dates leave the Brazilian unavailable for four consecutive domestic fixtures, and his next La Liga appearance is due after the November international break. The appeal’s destination, timetable and likely outcome have not been specified in the available reports, so the current sanction remains the operative decision.
José Mourinho also questioned the timing of the announcement, which came shortly before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma. The coach raised the issue in his pre-match media appearance, adding a separate complaint about when the disciplinary decision was made public.
For now, Madrid must prepare for the four league games without Vinícius while pursuing a further challenge. The next concrete marker is the Sevilla fixture, followed by the October 25 meeting with Barcelona if the ban is unchanged.
