Vinicius could miss the Clásico after Villarreal sending-off

Vinicius could miss the Clásico after being sent off against Villarreal. The incident came in the second half, and Madrid held on until the end with Diomande’s goal advantage despite the Brazilian receiving a straight red card. Vinicius was dismissed after an incident involving Saliba; a goal he had scored earlier was disallowed because of that action.

Referee Díaz de Mera consulted the video assistant before penalising Vinicius for pulling Saliba’s hair, an act classified as aggression under the rules. The case is similar to that of Ferran Torres in January 2023, in a match against Atlético de Madrid.

Another precedent involved a former Mallorca player sent off for pulling the hair of Roger Brugué, of Levante. The referee’s report described the action as “pulling an opponent’s hair when the ball is not in play”.

If the precedents are followed, Vinicius could miss the Clásico scheduled at Spotify Camp Nou on 25 October. The length of the suspension would depend in part on how the referee describes the incident: if the report says the ball was not within playing distance, the suspension would be two matches and the Brazilian would miss the fixture.