October 15
Discontent within the Santiago Bernabéu
Young Brazilian forward André summed up the feelings of his Real Madrid teammates in the dressing room regarding the four-match suspension handed down to his compatriot Vinicius Junior by the Spanish Football Federation's Competition Committee.
The official announcement of the punishment came on Wednesday, just hours before Real Madrid's Champions League match against Roma, which ended in a stunning 4-3 comeback victory for Los Blancos at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Brazilian star's punishment stems from his sending off in last Saturday's La Liga match against Villarreal for pulling the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba at the start of an attack that ended with a goal for the Brazilian himself, which was later disallowed.
Indric, who came on as a substitute in the second half against Roma and scored a goal, said after the match: "We knew the punishment was supposed to be two matches, but deep down we knew it wouldn't be that."
He added, according to Spanish sources: "What they're doing to Vinicius is insane, and that won't change. We knew it would be like this, that they would target Vinicius."
He continued: "He's a strong man who always fights against everything, and when he comes back, he'll be back at his best."
Before the match, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho declined to comment on Vinicius's suspension, but questioned the timing of the announcement: "Why announce it two hours before such an important Champions League match?"
