Red card, suspension and a conspiracy - what's up with Vini Jr?

Key points

• Vinicius Jr was sent off against Villarreal for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair and received a four-match suspension.
• The ban rules him out of El Clasico against Barcelona and league games against Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valencia.
• Mourinho criticised the timing of the disciplinary announcement, which came two hours before Real Madrid's Champions League match against Roma.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr has been handed a four-match suspension after his red card against Villarreal at the weekend. The Brazilian was dismissed for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair while the ball was in play and neither player was challenging for it. The referee overturned a Real Madrid goal and showed Vinicius a straight red card.

The suspension, announced by the Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee two hours before Real Madrid's Champions League match against Roma on Wednesday, rules him out of league fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia. He will miss El Clasico against Barcelona a week on Sunday unless an appeal changes the outcome.

Mourinho criticises timing

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho questioned why the announcement came just two hours before the Champions League match. "Do you think it's normal for a player who is going to play an important match for Spanish football to know two hours before that he is sanctioned with four games?" Mourinho said. He described the decision as showing "little respect" for the club and suggested the timing was intentional.

Mourinho had earlier defended Vinicius, saying before the Villarreal game: "What makes me sad is the fact he really wants to be at his absolute best." He added that Vinicius "deserves better treatment" after making Real Madrid happy on many occasions.

I don't remember any player ever getting a four-game suspension

— Vinicius Jr

Vinicius responds to ban

Vinicius, who had apologised to his team and fans on social media, said he was surprised by the four-match suspension. "I don't remember any player ever getting a four-game suspension," he said. "I tried to get past the player in front of me and ended up grabbing his hair. That's it – a red card." He added that he did not say a single bad word to the referee to deserve the punishment.

The 26-year-old also acknowledged frustration at being substituted in the 59th minute against Roma when Real Madrid were trailing 3-1, before the team scored three late goals to win 4-3. He has now gone six appearances without scoring, his last goal coming in August against Real Sociedad. He also dismissed bizarre conspiracy theories claiming he had been replaced by a body double after cosmetic surgery on his chin in July.