Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde says Vinicius Junior did not deliberately pull a Villarreal player’s hair during the incident that led to the Brazil forward’s four-match suspension.
Vinicius Junior was sent off in Real Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal after grabbing the hair of one of the opposing players.
The punishment means the 25-year-old will miss Real Madrid’s meeting with Barcelona, one of the key fixtures of the season.
Valverde has questioned the decision to impose such a lengthy ban on his team-mate, maintaining that the action was unintentional.
Vinicius Junior has made eight appearances in La Liga this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists.