Vinicius Junior was red-carded in Real Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Brazilian winger was sent off in the 72nd minute after coming on as a substitute eight minutes into the second half. He thought he had scored Real’s second goal, but a VAR review ruled out his effort after identifying an incident in which he pulled Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba’s hair.
Vinicius later took to social media to express his regret, writing: “Sorry to the team and the fans.”
The 26-year-old now faces an anxious wait to discover his punishment, with the possibility of missing Real’s crucial El Clasico clash against Barcelona on October 25 at the Camp Nou.
Spanish Football Federation regulations classify hair-pulling as violent conduct. Under Article 130, a player can receive a suspension of between one and three matches for violent conduct that does not cause injury.
Real’s next three league fixtures are against Sevilla, Barcelona and Racing Santander. Depending on the disciplinary committee’s decision, Vinicius could miss some of those matches.
