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Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was sent off after receiving a straight red card for pulling Villarreal’s Natan Saliba’s hair in a La Liga match on Saturday.
As Vinicius celebrated after scoring for Madrid, referee Isidro Diaz de Mera was summoned by the video assistant to review the moments before his goal.
The referee disallowed the goal and red carded Vinicius for pulling Saliba’s hair hard as he sprinted across the pitch.
Although the Madrid club played with 10 people from the 73rd minute, they won 1:0.
Vinicius asked for forgiveness from his team and fans without mentioning Saliba’s name on social media.
“I apologize to my team and my fans,” Vinicius wrote in Spanish on Instagram.
Vinicius came on as a second-half substitute shortly before Yan Diamonde put Madrid ahead. Just when Vinicius thought he had doubled the lead, Madrid manager Jose Mourinho ran off to join his players in celebration.
But after a few minutes, Vinicius was confused by the referee’s decision. He shouted at Diaz de Mera as his teammates tried to calm him down as he left the field.
“I don’t think he meant to hurt anyone, but it’s a red card,” said Villarreal defender Juan Foyth, tearing his hair out.
Mourinho did not attend the mandatory post-match press conference.
Madrid visits Barcelona in two rounds. So if the disciplinary committee adds a mandatory one-game ban, he could potentially be ruled out of the Clásico.
Vinicius led the fight against racism
Vinicius became one of the leading voices against racism in Spain after he was repeatedly subjected to racist abuse by opposing fans during away games.
But he also earned a reputation as a player who talked to opposing players, sometimes so much that he lost focus on the game, and sometimes tested the patience of his coaches.