Real Madrid‘s Antonio Rüdiger received a six-game ban after his red card in the team’s 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona, while teammate Jude Bellingham‘s sending off has been rescinded.
Rüdiger, Bellingham and Lucas Vázquez — who also receives a two-game ban — were all dismissed in the closing stages of Madrid’s extra-time loss, as the team reacted angrily to a decision by referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.
In his report, De Burgos said Rüdiger — who had already been substituted — had been sent off in the 120th minute “for throwing an object from the technical area” and “had to be restrained by various members of the coaching staff, showing an aggressive attitude.”
Vázquez, who had also already been withdrawn from the match, was dismissed for “entering the field of play” as he protested the official’s decision, while Bellingham was carded after the final whistle for “approaching our position with an aggressive attitude, having to be held back by teammates.”
On Tuesday, the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee ruled that Rüdiger would serve a six-game ban, while Vázquez was handed a two-game suspension.
“There’s definitely no excuse for my behavior,” Rüdiger said on Sunday on social media. “I’m very sorry for that … after 111 minutes, I was not able to help my team anymore and before the final whistle I did a mistake. Sorry again to the referee and to everyone I have disappointed.”
Rüdiger has subsequently undergone knee surgery, with sources telling ESPN the defender is expected to be absent for up to two months, ruling out his participation in any case for the remainder of the LaLiga season and putting his involvement in this summer’s Club World Cup in doubt.
The disciplinary committee found, after hearing Real Madrid’s arguments, that video evidence showed “a different reality than that reflected in the referee’s report” regarding Bellingham, and found no evidence of “an aggressive attitude” or teammates holding him back.
That meant there was a “material, manifest error” in the report, and Bellingham’s red card was overturned.
In Rüdiger’s case, the committee rejected Madrid’s argument that the player’s “spontaneous regret” should be taken into account in determining his punishment, ruling that his social media post was insufficient evidence of this.
Madrid went into the Copa del Rey final under pressure, having been eliminated from the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage earlier this month, and trailing Barcelona in the LaLiga title race.
The game was played in a tense atmosphere, after Madrid refused to attend their prematch news conference, training and the official photo shoot in protest at comments from referee De Burgos and the video assistant referee Pablo González Fuertes earlier in the day.
The club said the officials had demonstrated “hostility and animosity” towards the team, when answering questions about videos critical of referees broadcast on Real Madrid TV.
