Jose Mourinho says “the cat is no longer hidden” in a typically weird post-match press conference as the furore surrounding Vinicius Junior escalates.

Vinicius was handed a four-match ban for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during Madrid’s 1-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday.

The committee said the Brazilian had received a two-game ban for “violent conduct, without the possibility of playing the ball” and the two additional games for arguing with the referee “with an aggressive attitude and having to be restrained by his teammates.”

After Madrid’s extraordinary 4-3 win over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday, in which they scored in the 83rd, 85th and 90th minute to turn the game on its head, Mourinho questioned whether the timing of the suspension announcement just hours before a key European game was appropriate and suggested that the situation raised wider concerns.

He said: “You’re the journalist, but may I ask you a question? Do you think it’s normal for a player from a Spanish team to find out he’s been banned for four matches before the match even takes place?

“This is turning into what we say in Portuguese: ‘a cat hiding with its tail sticking out’, and it seems to me that the cat isn’t hiding anymore – they’re doing things without any shame.

“Do you want to ‘take down’ a player from a Spanish team? The cat is no longer hidden.

“Vinicius’s match was either my mistake or a wise decision by Gasperini, because they’ve been tearing us apart down the left flank.”

In a particularly spiky press conference, even by Mourinho’s standards, he then turned his attention to Real Madrid’s fixture schedule.

He added: “At the very least, they have little respect for us. The fact that we’re playing in Athens on Wednesday, arriving at five in the morning, and then playing a tough match in Valencia on Saturday is unbelievable.

“I don’t accept their apologies because I’ve been in football for 25 years and, as long as I’m here, I’m going to do everything I can to open the eyes of Real Madrid fans.”

Vini the story again in Rome

Vinicius endured a difficult first half for Madrid, but Mourinho took responsibility before explained why he changed his position at half-time.

“The first half was my fault. Or Gasperini’s fault. He put Soule in there and Wesley really ran rings round us with loads of two-on-ones.

“It was tough for Vini. In the second half, I gave him the freedom to play down the other flank. Wesley was neutralised by Diomande.

“Vini lost a ball he shouldn’t have lost. But that’s it – I make mistakes too. It’s a shame that just when he was coming into his own, being happy again, this happened.”

Vinicius was substituted on the hour mark, with the change preceding the dramatic turnaround, and Mourinho looked to play down his player’s reaction to being taken off.

“It’s normal for him not to be happy,” Mourinho said. “If he does what so many others do – throwing the water bottle – I don’t like that.

“Frustration is normal. But after the match he was very happy about the win.”