Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger given six-game ban for ‘throwing object' at referee, Jude Bellingham avoids suspension

New York Times

29-04-2025

Antonio Rudiger has been given a six-match ban for throwing an object at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea during his side's 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona — but his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham will not serve a suspension after being shown a red card following the game.
Rudiger has been banned for six games for what the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)'s Disciplinary Committee says constituted a 'minor violence against referees'.
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The 32-year-old Germany centre-back had been substituted in the final but an outburst on the side of the pitch at the end of extra time saw him held back by team-mates and coaching staff. He was shown a red card and De Burgos Bengoetxea's referee's report said he was penalised for 'throwing an object from the technical area which did not reach me', adding he showed an 'aggressive attitude'.
Bellingham avoided a sanction, despite De Burgos Bengoetxea's report saying of the England international's dismissal: 'He came towards us with an aggressive attitude, having to be held back by his teammates.'
The RFEF concluded that, after reviewing video footage, which showed Bellingham displaying a 'calm attitude towards Barcelona players', they did not agree with the referee's report which led to his red card.
'It is evident that he is more than 15 metres from the referee's team,' the report said. 'That, given the distance between the player and the officials, it is impossible to conclude that the player went towards the position where the referees were in an aggressive attitude. Indeed, looking at the images, he did not even address them.'
Lucas Vazquez, who like Rudiger had been substituted and was sent off for his touchline behaviour, has been given a two-match suspension for 'protesting' excessively in the direction of the officials. That suspension will be served during next season's Copa del Rey.
The day after the final, Rudiger posted an apology to social media, saying there was 'no excuse for my behaviour last night'.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was confirmed that the centre-back is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear. That timeframe covers Madrid's remaining five La Liga matches of the season, including their potential title decider against Barcelona on May 11, with Rudiger also set to miss the first game of the 2025-26 league campaign.
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While suspensions in domestic Spanish football are competition-specific, a ban of four or more matches applies to La Liga as well.
Rudiger has been a staple of Carlo Ancelotti's side this season, featuring 49 times in all competitions despite suffering ongoing knee problems throughout the campaign.
The former Chelsea defender has been punished under a breach of article 101 of the RFEF's disciplinary code, which says: 'Mild violence toward the referees. Grabbing, pushing, or shaking, or generally using other attitudes toward the referees that, while only mildly violent, will result in a suspension of four to twelve matches.'
Ahead of the match, referee De Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears during a pre-match press conference for the match officials after he was asked to speak about the impact of the scrutiny from Madrid's in-house television channel, Real Madrid TV.
He became visibly emotional when recalling an incident when his child returned from school after his classmates had called him a 'thief.' Madrid, who responded by saying the incident was 'premeditated' and showed 'animosity and hostility' towards the club, subsequently cancelled their pre-match news conference.
Madrid return to action in La Liga against Celta Vigo on May 4.
By Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
Rudiger's outburst was a grimly predictable conclusion to a Copa del Rey final like no other.
On Friday, De Burgos Bengoetxea broke down in tears as he explained the toll criticism from Real Madrid TV and other outlets had taken on him and his family. He spoke about his son coming home to tell him that classmates had called his father 'a thief' and the referee added that 'everyone should reflect on where we want to go and what we want from sport and football'.
Madrid's response was to issue an angry statement arguing the press conference showed the match officials' 'clear and manifest hostility' towards the club, before publishing another statement in which they said 'they never considered withdrawing' from the game amid suggestions that could be a possibility. But the die was cast long ago when it comes to Madrid's relationship with referees.
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RMTV regularly shows compilations of referees' supposed mistakes before games and 'corruption in the federation' chants are par for the course at the Bernabeu after it emerged that Barcelona paid €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) to a company owned by the former vice-president of Spanish football's refereeing committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira from 2001-2018. He and Barcelona have denied the payments he received constitute any wrongdoing, with the club saying he was hired as an 'external consultant' who provided reports 'related to professional refereeing'.
Officials in Spain already face huge levels of scrutiny, with daily newspapers and late-night radio shows dedicated to both Clasico rivals. Rudiger's actions will only have increased the pressure — and he has been punished accordingly.