His participation impossible: Vinicius out of Real Madrid's plans for the Clasico
Vinicius Junior looks almost certain to miss Real Madrid's upcoming Clasico against Barcelona. The Spanish giants have left the Brazilian out of their plans, bracing for a suspension after his red card against Villarreal.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena COPE, Real Madrid expect Vinicius to be handed a three-match ban, with hopes of trimming it to two on appeal. For now, they are treating his absence from the Barcelona clash as done, awaiting the disciplinary committee's final ruling.
Before heading to the Camp Nou on 25 October, Real Madrid face Sevilla. That schedule means the expected ban will rule the Brazilian out of the Clasico, even if the club manage to cut the punishment to the bare minimum.
Referee Diaz de Mera explained in his report that Vinicius was sent off in the 73rd minute for "pulling the hair of one of the opponents while the ball was in play, without the two players being in direct contention for the ball".
Such a description could see the incident treated as an offence warranting more than a single-match ban, especially given that it happened away from any direct fight for the ball.
The report added that Vinicius kept protesting loudly after his dismissal and approached the referee aggressively, forcing his teammates to drag him away.
Those details could leave the player facing an additional sanction, depending on how the disciplinary committee reads them.
The timing could hardly be worse for Real Madrid. The club are already struggling with a dip in the player's form and output early in the season, and he had only come off the bench against Villarreal before walking straight back off with a red card.
If the ban is confirmed, Real Madrid lose one of their sharpest attacking weapons for the trip to Barcelona. Vinicius, meanwhile, takes another hit after the criticism of his performance and conduct in the last match.
No final decision has landed yet, but Real Madrid's stance, according to the "Cadena COPE" report, suggests the club have begun preparing for the Clasico without the Brazilian while fighting to shorten his absence on appeal.
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