Vinicius Jr. has been handed a two-match suspension by the RFEF Competition Committee following his red card last Friday during Real Madrid’s La Liga match against Valencia at Mestalla. The Brazilian forward will serve the ban in La Liga, meaning—unless the club's appeal is successful—he will miss the games against Las Palmas and Real Valladolid on January 19 and 25, respectively. However, Vinicius will still be eligible to play in the Spanish Super Cup, which begins this Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.

The Competition Committee based its decision on the report submitted by match referee Soto Grado, who classified Vinicius’ action against Valencia goalkeeper Dimitrievski as "sporting violence" rather than aggression. This distinction avoided a harsher penalty of at least four matches, which would have ruled Vinicius out of the Spanish Super Cup. The report stated that Vinicius was sent off for "deliberately hitting an opponent in the head with considerable force while the ball was not in play." It also mentioned that he had to be restrained and taken to the dressing room while continuing to protest.

Real Madrid plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the VAR review of the incident did not fully consider the provocation from Dimitrievski that led to Vinicius' reaction.

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