Mourinho Blasts "Shameless" Timing of Vinicius Ban After Real's Stunning Roma Comeback

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho delivered a withering attack on the Spanish FA after Vinicius Jr's four-match La Liga ban was confirmed barely two hours before Wednesday night's Champions League thriller against Roma.

Madrid found out on the team bus as they arrived at the Stadio Olimpico, and Mourinho was furious at the timing. Reaching for a Portuguese saying, he accused the authorities of a "cat hiding with its tail showing," adding: "Now the cat is no longer hiding, it's out in the open, and things are being done shamelessly. Two hours before a match involving a Spanish team, a player finds out they've been suspended for four matches, and you kill a player."

The ban, handed down on Wednesday, covers four La Liga fixtures: this Sunday's home game against Sevilla, the first Clasico of the season at Barcelona on October 25, plus trips to Racing Santander and Valencia. Two matches are for the red card — the hair-pull on Villarreal's Nathan Saliba in Saturday's 1-0 win — with another two added for his protests towards the referee. Real Madrid's appeals were rejected.

On the pitch, Vinicius endured a miserable night in Rome and was substituted for Endrick after 59 minutes, having lost possession six times with zero shots and one key pass. The Brazilian, 26, claimed he said nothing offensive to the referee and that he was surprised by the severity of the punishment. Mourinho insisted his star handled the emotions well: "The frustration of an important player is normal and after the match he was very happy with his team's victory. That's the most important thing." Real, 3-1 down with eight minutes left, won 4-3 thanks to Carlos Espi, Endrick and Antonio Rudiger's late winner.