The Disciplinary Committee explained why Vinicius’s suspension was announced before AS Roma - Real Madrid

Vinicius's four-match suspension was announced on Wednesday evening, October 14, just before the AS Roma - Real Madrid match, but the decision was allegedly not deliberately communicated in order to affect the forward, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Football Federation announced the sanction after the deadline for filing appeals and evidence had expired. This had been extended until Wednesday, October 13, at 14:00, because Monday, October 12, was Spain's National Day, a public holiday also for Federation employees.

The Committee met immediately after the deadline expired and decided to publish the ruling the same day, so that Real Madrid would have time to appeal. If the sanction had been announced on Thursday, the club would have had a shorter period in which to contest it.

Vinicius was suspended after being directly sent off in the match against Villarreal, won 1-0 by Real Madrid, after he pulled Canadian Nathan Saliba's hair. He will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia, including El Clasico, and could return to the league on November 22, against Celta Vigo.

Jose Mourinho criticized the timing of the announcement and suggested that it had been chosen to destabilize the player before the Champions League match.