Vinicius Jr to miss Barcelona match after four-game suspension

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr will miss the league match at Barcelona on 25 October after the Spanish Football Federation's disciplinary committee gave him a four-match suspension on Wednesday, 14 October. The decision follows his dismissal against Villarreal and also rules him out of three other league matches, according to BBC Sport and a Reuters report carried by Channel NewsAsia.

Why Vinicius Jr received a four-match suspension

Vinicius was sent off after pulling Nathan Saliba's hair during Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday. Reuters reports that the committee imposed two matches for the red-card offence and another two for protests to the referee, citing its disciplinary report for the eighth round of LaLiga fixtures.

BBC Sport quotes the committee's stated grounds for the first two matches as behaving violently while not in a position to challenge for the ball. Its account also attributes the further two-match penalty to protests directed at officials. Together, the two parts of the sanction account for the four league fixtures Vinicius is set to miss.

Vinicius had come off the bench after 52 minutes against Villarreal, BBC Sport reports. He thought he had scored, but the goal was disallowed after a pitchside-monitor review of the preceding incident. BBC Sport also says Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho did not attend the post-match news conference. After the match, Vinicius apologised to the team and fans on social media, according to the BBC's account.

Which Real Madrid matches Vinicius Jr will miss

The four listed fixtures are against Sevilla on 18 October, Barcelona on 25 October, Racing Santander on 1 November and Valencia on 7 November. Reuters says Real Madrid will travel to face Barcelona, making that match the second of the four covered by the disciplinary decision.

The absence affects a regular starter: Vinicius had started all but one of Real Madrid's matches that season, Reuters reports. The same report puts Barcelona six points ahead of Real Madrid at the time of the decision. Those figures give the 25 October meeting particular weight for both clubs as Real Madrid prepares to play it without the forward.