Why Vinicius red card for pulling Saliba's hair falls under violent conduct in the CTA rulebook

Vinicius Junior's red card in Real Madrid's latest match remains a major talking point. On Tuesday, the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees released a new episode of its match review programme and made clear that the Brazilian's hair pull on Saliba fits the definition of violent conduct laid out in the refereeing documents used throughout the season.

• The CTA did not include the incident among the weekend's controversial reviews because it considers the decision left no room for doubt.
• The hair pull is expressly listed as an action that can lead to a red card in the Spanish refereeing body's CARD document.
• The VAR told referee Isidro Díaz de Mera to review the action on the pitchside monitor, and he showed a straight red card.
• The suspension could be one match or two depending on whether the committee rules that the action took place while challenging for the ball.
• The RFEF Disciplinary Committee will also rule on Vinicius' reaction after the red card, with a decision expected on Saturday.

What the CTA says about Vinicius pulling Saliba's hair

The incident happened on Saturday when Vinicius grabbed Saliba's hair in an action the VAR considered worthy of a review. From the video room, Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz recommended that the on-field official, Isidro Díaz de Mera, go to the monitor. After watching the images, the referee had no hesitation in showing the Real Madrid winger a straight red card.

The Technical Committee of Referees backed that call on Tuesday. In its regular match analysis programme, the play was not presented as one of the controversial moments of the round because, according to the committee's criteria, there is no room for debate: the action is clearly defined in the internal rules that officials have used since the start of the campaign.

How the CARD document defines violent conduct

The CARD is a document produced by the CTA before the season begins in which all possible actions and game situations are described. Within that manual, pulling an opponent's hair is explicitly included among the violent actions that must be punished with a sending-off.

A violent conduct action occurs when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent, teammate, match official or any other person, whether or not there is a challenge for the ball.

The text adds that these actions usually involve physical aggression or violent behaviour that clearly goes beyond what is allowed in the game and puts the physical integrity of the other person at risk. According to the Laws of the Game, violent conduct must be sanctioned with a red card.

Actions that lead to a straight red card

The same document goes on to list potential violent conduct actions that can result in a red card. They include elbows, headbutts, punches, slaps, grabs to the neck, pushes, kicks, stamps, bites and, specifically, pulling the hair of an opponent or any other person without challenging for the ball while using excessive force or brutality.

The VAR backed the referee's decision

The fact that the action is so specifically included in the refereeing document explains why the VAR treated it from the very first moment as possible violent conduct. The video officials alerted the referee on the pitch to review the play, and the final decision was a straight red card for Vinicius.

Vinicius could face a one or two-match suspension

Attention now turns to the length of the ban. Article 130 of the disciplinary code will be decisive in determining whether Vinicius misses only one match or two. If the hair pull is considered to have taken place during a challenge for the ball, the suspension would be limited to one game. If the committee rules that the action was completely outside the run of play, the punishment could increase to two matches.

That decision is separate from what happens with Vinicius' subsequent reaction after seeing the red card. The Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Football Federation has that possible additional sanction on the table and will not announce its ruling until Saturday.