Vinícius Júnior gets a four-game ban and will miss El Clásico after a hair-pull red card

Vinícius Júnior will miss El Clásico. Spain's football federation handed the Real Madrid forward a four-match LaLiga ban after his red card against Villarreal.

How he was sent off

Vinícius came on in the second half of Real Madrid's 1-0 win and thought he had scored. The referee reviewed the play on the pitchside monitor and ruled that Vinícius had pulled Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba's hair before the goal. The goal came off the board and Vinícius was sent off.

The disciplinary committee suspended him for two matches for violent conduct while not challenging for the ball and two more for aggressive protests toward referee Isidro Díaz de Mera.

Games he will miss

The ban covers LaLiga trips against Sevilla on Oct. 18, Barcelona in El Clásico on Oct. 25, Racing Santander on Nov. 1 and Valencia on Nov. 7. Real Madrid is appealing.

Vinícius later apologized on social media saying he was sorry to the team and the fans.

Mourinho calls the timing shameless

The ruling landed about two hours before Real Madrid faced Roma in the Champions League. Manager José Mourinho said the timing was wrong for a Spanish club playing a match that also mattered for Spanish football.

"Do you think it's normal that a player from a Spanish team, who has to play a match that is also important for Spanish football, that two hours before the match a player knows he's been given a four-match suspension?" Mourinho said after Madrid's 4-3 win. "They do things shamelessly now."

Vinícius still came off the bench against Roma. Without him in league play Madrid will lean harder on the rest of its attack until the ban lifts.