Why Vinicius should miss the classic

BarcelonaVinicius Junior has almost no chance of playing in the El Clásico on October 25th against Barça. The Brazilian footballer's expulsion in the Real Madrid - Villarreal (1-0) match, after pulling the hair of defender Nathan Saliba, will foreseeably lead to a suspension of between two and three games. The incident occurred in the 73rd minute, when Vinicius scored a goal that would have made it 2-0. José Mourinho ran to the corner flag to celebrate, but meanwhile, the referee was awaiting confirmation from VAR. It did not seem like there was any reviewable action, but surprisingly, the official went to the monitor following the recommendation of Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz. The Galician showed him the images of the violent conduct and the verdict unleashed a storm: goal disallowed and a direct red card.

The drafting of Isidro Díaz de Mera's referee report is particularly damaging to the interests of the white team. The referee from La Mancha described the reason for the expulsion: “For pulling the hair of an opponent with the ball in play but not in contention”. The Referees' Committee manual considers that violent conduct occurs when “a player uses an elbow, a headbutt, a punch, a slap, grabs by the neck, pushes, kicks, bites, pulls the hair… of an opponent or any other person without competing for the ball, using excessive force or brutality”.

A minimum of a two-game suspension for Vinicius

The Disciplinary Code of the Spanish Football Federation is especially clear in these cases. Article 121 establishes that direct red cards entail, as a general rule, a minimum of a one-match suspension, but increases the punishment to a minimum of two when the footballer has no possibility of disputing the ball. Furthermore, Article 130, which regulates violent conduct, provides for sanctions of two to three matches when the action occurs outside the game or without the possibility of disputing the ball. Everything points, therefore, to Vinicius being punished with a minimum of two matches, which would correspond to the clashes against Sevilla and Barça.

The Brazilian's situation could become even more complicated due to his reaction following the expulsion. Díaz de Mera recorded that “with the game stopped, Vinicius, after having been sent off and while he was still on the pitch, continued to protest my decision by shouting, heading towards the area where I was with an aggressive attitude, to the point that he had to be restrained by his teammates, without me being able to identify any specific expression. This circumstance leaves open the possibility that the Disciplinary Committee may also assess the footballer's subsequent behavior, although it does not automatically imply an additional sanction.

The precedents do not favor Real Madrid

There are recent precedents that reinforce the forecast of a minimum of two matches. In May 2026, Johan Mojica, then a Mallorca footballer, received this sanction after pulling Roger Brugué's hair in a match against Levante. In January 2023, Ferran Torres was also punished with two matches for a similar action on Stefan Savic during an Atlético de Madrid-Barça game. In both cases, the impossibility of playing the ball was decisive. On the other hand, Diego Percan, from Córdoba, only received a one-match sanction last May for a hair pull in an action where the ball was indeed within reach of being played.

The resolution of the Disciplinary Committee is expected at the beginning of next week. Real Madrid will have the possibility of filing an appeal to try to reduce the sanction, but their options are very limited. There is no image that has enough weight to contradict the facts recorded in the referee's report. In this way, and barring an unexpected turn in the disciplinary process, José Mourinho will not be able to count on Vinicius in the Camp Nou Clásico.