Vinícius gets four-match ban and will miss El Clásico

Vinícius Júnior was handed a four-match suspension in Spain's LaLiga and will miss the Clásico against Barcelona on Oct. 25 at Camp Nou, according to beIN Sports and Excélsior. The ruling became public on Oct. 14. Neither outlet links the committee's statement, and we could not find it.

The Real Madrid forward was sent off in the 73rd minute of the match against Villarreal on Saturday, Oct. 10, with a straight red card after a VAR review. The offense was pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba while the ball was in play but not being contested between the two.

Per both outlets, the punishment comes in two parts. Two matches are for that action and two more for his behavior after the red card, which the referee's report describes as an aggressive reaction.

Madrid filed appeals, and the committee rejected them in full. beIN Sports adds that the club is weighing a new appeal to cut the ban to three matches, but it does not confirm one has been filed.

With the ban, Vinícius misses the games against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing de Santander and Valencia. The punishment applies only to the domestic league, so he stays available in the Champions League. According to beIN, he would return on Nov. 21 against Celta de Vigo.

What remains to be seen is whether Real Madrid files that appeal, the last route to shorten the ban before the Clásico.