Real Madrid appeal Vinícius ban with El Clásico place hanging in the balance

Real Madrid are appealing Vinícius Júnior’s four-match La Liga suspension for a second time after the RFEF disciplinary committee dismissed the club’s first challenge, leaving the forward’s place in the October 25 El Clásico at Spotify Camp Nou in serious doubt. The club considers the punishment excessive, according to El Imparcial, a view also reported by The Athletic.

The ban stems from Vinícius’s dismissal in the 73rd minute of Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal, where a VAR review prompted the referee to show him a red card. The referee’s report stated that Vinícius pulled Nathan Saliba’s hair while the ball was not in dispute between them. The disciplinary committee handed down two matches for that off-the-ball incident and a further two for protests directed at the referee after the dismissal, treating the two acts of conduct as separate offences.

Madrid argued in their first appeal that the contact could have been accidental and that the footage did not demonstrate a manifest material error — the legal threshold required to overturn the decision. The committee found those arguments insufficient and upheld both the red card and the four-match sanction.

The new appeal targets the length of the ban rather than the dismissal itself. As things stand, Vinícius is ruled out of league fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing de Santander on November 1, and Valencia on November 7. His next La Liga appearance would come after the November international break.

José Mourinho also raised a separate complaint about the timing of the disciplinary announcement, which was made public shortly before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma. The coach addressed the issue in his pre-match media briefing.

The timetable and destination of the further appeal have not been confirmed in available reports, meaning the four-match suspension remains the operative decision for now. The Sevilla fixture is the first concrete marker, with the Barcelona meeting five days later if the ban is not reduced.