Vinicius Jr.'s ban is confirmed

Real Madrid C.F.

The ruling is a setback for the Madrid side, who had been hoping to secure a reduction to the punishment, especially regarding the player's protests. In the end, Vinicius receives a two-match suspension for grabbing Saliba by the hair and another two for his conduct after the sending off.

The absence of the winger will affect their league matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing and Valencia. His return in LaLiga is scheduled for matchday 13, against Celta, on November 22, once the next international break has ended.

The referee's report, decisive for the four-match ban

The punishment stems from an incident in the 70th minute of the match against Villarreal. Vinicius grabbed Saliba by the hair at the start of a counterattack that ended in a goal. Although the incident initially went unnoticed, the VAR intervention led referee Díaz de Mera Escuderos to review the footage and show the Brazilian a direct red card, also overturning the goal.

The wording of the report proved decisive. The referee specified that the action took place "without the ball being in dispute", a circumstance that raised the minimum sanction for the offence to two matches.

The second reason for the ban was the Madrid player's reaction after learning of his sending off. The referee's document recorded an "aggressive attitude, having to be held back by his teammates". During the protests, Vinicius even pushed the LaLiga Match Director and uttered the phrase "f***ing dirty league".

The Real Madrid considered a possible four-game ban excessive and tried to reduce it through their appeals. Their main argument regarding the protests was that the report did not reflect insults, but rather an assessment of the player's conduct. However, Disciplinary has upheld the punishment in full.

The matches Vinicius will miss and when he will return

The ban only affects LaLiga fixtures, so Vinicius will be able to keep playing in the Champions League over the coming weeks.

The Brazilian will be suspended against Sevilla (October 18), the Barcelona (October 25), the Racing (November 1) and the Valencia (November 7). By contrast, he will be able to play the European matches against Roma (October 14), RB Leipzig (October 21) and AEK (November 4).

That means the forward will be more than a month without playing league matches, although he will be able to take part in the European fixtures. His return to the national competition will come against Celta on November 22, after the international break.

🚨🚨🚨 Vinicius is left without a Clasico: Four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal: Two for the sending off and two for his protest to the referee #LaLiga https://t.co/2dE4Wuvfwd

— MARCA (@marca) October 14, 2026