Vinícius Júnior found out he would miss El Clásico only when he turned up at the stadium in Rome.

The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee had handed him a four-match LaLiga suspension that morning for his red card against Villarreal, Al Jazeera reported. Two matches were for violent conduct over pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in the build-up to a disallowed goal, and two were for arguing with the referee as he left the pitch at home to Villarreal on Saturday.

“I think the ban has come at a bad time. They had all day to impose the ban, and I only found out when I arrived at the stadium,” he said after the match, in comments carried by Goal.

Vinícius has not accepted the violent-conduct charge. He told Spanish outlet El Desmarque the contact with Nathan Saliba had been accidental.

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“I was trying to move the player in front of me, and in the end I caught his hair.”

“I have never committed a violent act against another player.”

The ban applies only to domestic competition, which is why he started in Rome.

‘The card is always for Vini’

In the Stadio Olimpico mixed zone he widened the complaint from his own case to the way creative forwards are refereed, naming Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez.

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“Defenders have every right to hit me throughout the entire match, and in the end, I’m the one who gets booked,” Vinícius said, in quotes carried by bein Sports.

“We have to defend the players who do football differently, like Lamine and Julián Álvarez.”

He said he could not remember a comparable four-match punishment for another player.

Taken off at 3-1

Vinícius was substituted in the 59th minute with Real Madrid trailing 3-1 to a Marten de Roon opener and a Donyell Malen brace. From the bench he watched Carlos Espí (83′), Endrick (85′) and Antonio Rüdiger (90′) haul the visitors back for a 4-3 win, according to ESPN’s match report.

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He had been visibly furious as he came off, and he addressed that too.

“It’s normal that I was angry after being substituted, because I always want to be at my best and help the team.”

He also conceded he has not been close to his usual level.

“I know I’m not at my best. I’ve been through worse moments, and many people have doubted me.”

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“I’m angry with myself that I wasn’t at my best. In the end, Vini always comes back, and I have no doubt that I will do so again.”

The home crowd whistled him throughout, and he shrugged that off.

“The booing certainly doesn’t help, but people pay for their tickets.”

Vinícius’s first LaLiga match back will not come until after the Clásico on 25 October.

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