Jose Mourinho criticised the timing of Vinicius Junior’s four-match suspension announcement.
Jose Mourinho says the four-match suspension announcement disrupted preparations, despite Real Madrid’s late 4-3 Champions League victory over Roma.
Jose Mourinho criticised the timing of the Vinicius ban announcement before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma. He said the winger learned of his four-match suspension just two hours before kick-off.
Spanish football authorities announced the punishment on Wednesday following Vinicius Junior’s dismissal against Villarreal on Saturday. The Brazil international received a red card for pulling an opponent’s hair during Real’s 1-0 La Liga victory.
However, Vinicius started against Roma as Madrid recovered from 3-1 down to secure a dramatic 4-3 win. Mourinho then used his post-match press conference to challenge the timing of the disciplinary announcement.
Vinicius ban rules winger out of Clasico
The suspension will sideline Vinicius for an important stretch of league fixtures, including the Clasico against Barcelona. Meanwhile, Barcelona hold a six-point advantage over Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Mourinho described the timing as shameless and said it disrupted his team’s preparations for a significant European fixture. He questioned why authorities could not wait until after the match or the following morning.
In particular, the Portuguese coach objected to his player receiving the news while the team approached the stadium. He argued that Madrid’s European results also contributed to Spanish football’s rankings and standing.
His criticism centred on when authorities communicated the punishment, with the Champions League match only hours away. Asked what the announcement showed, Mourinho characterised it as a lack of respect.
Mourinho also challenges fixture schedule
Mourinho also raised concerns about Madrid’s upcoming trip to Athens and the short turnaround before another away match. His side face AEK Athens in the Greek capital on 4 November, then visit Valencia on 7 November.
He said the Wednesday-night European fixture could mean arriving back in Madrid at around 5am. Madrid would then face Valencia on Saturday, ahead of a week of international matches.
Because of that travel schedule, Mourinho questioned the decision to arrange the Valencia fixture for Saturday. He described the league encounter as particularly difficult and rejected television scheduling as an acceptable explanation.
The coach also said he did not regard the arrangement as innocent. He promised to keep drawing Madrid supporters’ attention to his concerns over scheduling and disciplinary announcements.
Substitutes drive late comeback against Roma
On the pitch, however, Mourinho’s changes helped Madrid overturn a two-goal deficit in the closing stages. Roma had outplayed the hosts for much of the contest, with Donyell Malen scoring twice.
The visitors led 3-1 early in the second half and still held that advantage with seven minutes remaining. Yet Madrid rallied late, with substitutes Endrick and Carlos Espi both scoring.
Another substitute, Arda Guler, also supplied two assists during the comeback, helping Madrid claim all three points.
Afterwards, Mourinho acknowledged that he had not planned the precise route from 3-1 down to a 4-3 victory. Nevertheless, he said he believed his available substitutions could change the game during the final 20 minutes.
