Vinicius sent off for ‘violent conduct’ after pulling Saliba’s hair

Vinicius, of Real Madrid, was sent off for pulling Saliba’s hair, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. The whistle came from Isidro Díaz de Mera, and the match video review from the referee’s technical committee (“Tiempo de Revisión”) is said not to show that sending-off.

The piece stresses that VAR interpreted the incident as “violent conduct” under the CARD guidelines drawn up at the start of the season. Those guidelines state that violent conduct involving excessive or brutal force—whether or not there is a dispute for the ball—must be punished with a red card, and they explicitly list hair-pulling as one of the actions that can warrant a straight red.

The remaining point is how the article 130 classification lands (whether it counts within the play or entirely outside it) and what the RFEF’s Disciplinary Committee decides regarding Vinicius’ later reaction, with a ruling expected on Saturday.