Real Madrid lodge appeal but privately expect Vinicius to miss Barcelona clash

Real Madrid are planning to appeal Vinicius Junior’s red card from Sunday’s 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal, but the club privately acknowledges that the Brazilian forward is likely to be suspended for the El Clasico against Barcelona on October 25, according to Marca.

Vinicius started the match on the bench before coming on in the second half. He had a goal overturned by VAR for pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba, and was subsequently sent off after protesting the decision aggressively and needing to be restrained by team-mates. Boss Jose Mourinho, furious with the referee and his assistants, chose not to attend the post-match press conference to avoid saying anything that might result in a further sanction.

Real Madrid news: why the appeal is unlikely to succeed

The source of the club’s pessimism is the match official’s report. Referee Isidro Diaz de Mera not only cited the original offence but also documented that Vinicius continued to protest aggressively after the dismissal, approaching the official while being held back by other players. That additional detail, included formally in the official record, is the reason Real Madrid believe a successful appeal is difficult to achieve.

The minimum suspension arising from the red card and the post-dismissal conduct, as Marca projects it, would already be sufficient to rule Vinicius out of the Clasico regardless of how any appeal is decided.

Real Madrid news: the wider context and Konate’s yellow card

Real Madrid also intend to contest the yellow card shown to Ibrahima Konate in the closing minutes for a challenge on Gerard Moreno. In the club’s assessment, the incident does not constitute a foul. Should the caution stand, Konate will have accumulated four yellow cards in eight La Liga matches.

The disparity in officiating decisions during the game has added to the frustration inside the club. Real Madrid received five yellow cards and one red despite committing only eight fouls, while Villarreal were cautioned twice in 13 fouls. Real Madrid’s players and technical staff also felt they were treated dismissively by members of the officiating team after several incidents.

Yan Diomande scored the decisive goal to give Real Madrid all three points, but the night ended with the club discussing officiating rather than the victory, and facing the prospect of losing their most prominent forward for the biggest domestic fixture of the season.