Mourinho slams timing of Vinicius ban after Roma comeback

Jose Mourinho criticised Spanish football authorities for announcing Vinicius Junior’s four-match ban just two hours before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma. Vinicius started the game, which Madrid won 4-3 after trailing 3-1 with seven minutes remaining.

The winger was punished after being sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair during Saturday’s 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal. The ban will keep him out of a run of league matches that includes a meeting with Barcelona, who lead Real Madrid by six points.

Announcement disrupts preparations

Speaking after the win over Roma, Mourinho questioned why the decision had been communicated so close to kick-off. He said the timing meant Vinicius learned of his suspension while the team was preparing for an important European match.

“Couldn’t they do it now? Couldn’t they do it tomorrow morning?” Mourinho asked. “Do we have to come by bus and almost arrive at the stadium when we find out Vinicius has a four-match suspension?”

Mourinho called the handling of the announcement “shameless” and said it did not seem normal to inform a player of a four-match suspension two hours before a match. Asked what the announcement said, he replied: “At the very least, a lack of respect.”

On the pitch, Real Madrid recovered from a deficit built in part by Donyell Malen’s two goals for Roma. Mourinho’s substitutes played a central role in the late turnaround: Endrick and Carlos Espi scored, while Arda Guler supplied two assists.

Mourinho rejected the idea that he had planned for such a comeback, but said he believed his options from the bench could change the match. “I genuinely thought that in the last 20 minutes I had substitutions I could make,” he said.

League fixtures ahead

Mourinho also raised concerns about Real Madrid’s schedule. His side are due to face AEK Athens in the Greek capital on 4 November, followed by a La Liga trip to Valencia on 7 November.

He questioned the Saturday fixture in Valencia after the trip to Athens and dismissed the suggestion that television scheduling adequately explained it. The ban deprives Mourinho of one of his star attackers for an important run of league games that includes the Clasico.

Mourinho said: “Real Madrid fans aren’t stupid and I will do everything possible to open people’s eyes.”