Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior will miss four matches after being punished for pulling an opponent’s hair and confronting the referee during his side’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal.

The 26-year-old Brazilian winger was sent off in the 73rd minute on Saturday after grabbing and pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba as both players ran down the pitch.

Vinicius had scored earlier in the match, but his goal was ruled out.

Naija News reports that the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee announced the four-match suspension shortly before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma on Wednesday.

According to the committee, the forward received a two-match ban for the hair-pulling incident and another two matches for his reaction to the referee after receiving the red card.

Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera stated in his match report that Vinicius protested the decision by raising his voice and approaching him aggressively. He added that the Brazilian had to be restrained by his teammates.

The suspension means Vinicius will miss several important domestic matches, including Real Madrid’s home game against Sevilla on Sunday and the highly anticipated El Clasico against Barcelona the following week.

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

His absence from the clash with Barcelona is likely to be a major concern for Real Madrid, as the forward remains one of the club’s key attacking players.

The four-match ban leaves the Spanish giants without the Brazilian for a crucial period of their domestic campaign.

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