Real Madrid forward Vinicius Júnior has been handed a four-match suspension after pulling an opponent’s hair during his side’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday.

The Brazilian was sent off in the 73rd minute after grabbing and tugging the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba as the two players sprinted down the pitch. Vinícius had scored moments earlier, but the goal was ruled out.

The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee announced the suspension shortly before Real Madrid’s Champions

League match against Roma on Wednesday.

According to the committee, Vinícius received a two-match ban for the hair-pulling incident and an additional two matches for his aggressive reaction to the referee after being shown the red card.

Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera stated in his match report that the forward protested the decision by raising his voice and approaching him aggressively, adding that Vinícius had to be restrained by his teammates.

The suspension means Vinícius will miss Real Madrid’s home fixture against Sevilla on Sunday and their trip to Barcelona the following week for the highly anticipated Clasico.

He will also be unavailable for Madrid’s away matches against Racing Santander and Valencia.

The four-match ban comes as a setback for Real Madrid, who will be without one of their key attacking players for several important domestic fixtures. (Vanguard)